Around campus, Ugg boots and look-alikes hit the icy pavement, scarves wrap tightly around warm necks and students have a reason to hurry to their cozy classes. Inside the month of January, temperatures in Richmond reached up to 70 degrees. This week, the mercury in the thermometer dipped much lower.
Before the snowflakes began to fall, VCU students were finding ways to deal with the bone-chilling cold and planning how to spend their day off if classes are canceled.
Layering clothing became the students’ first line of defense against the chill.
“I wear like three shirts, a hat, gloves, scarf,” said Dawn Ingram, a junior psychology major. “Being fashionable is not and issue because I would much rather dress like a marshmallow than trying to be cute and freezing at the same time.”
On the contrary, Michelle Mines, a social work major, said fashion comes before warmth. “I’d rather look more fashionable and be a little colder,” she said. “But, I will never wear a skirt in the winter.”
As one student found out, a fashion trend from the past year also came in handy this winter. Khara Coburin said she counts on her 6-foot-long scarf to keep her warm. Ashley Bacon-Ward, a junior, stocked up on winter accessories.
“I bought gloves, snow boots, hat and a scarf so I’m good,” the political science major said.
Winter also exposed some penny-pinching landlords and their disgruntled tenants, some students said. Senior criminal justice major Lindsay Clark said she was concerned about the lack of heating in her apartment.
“We don’t have any gas because our landlord’s mean, so we have three space heaters in a circle in the living room.”
Clark has two more reasons to be concerned of the cold – her pair of pet rats. “I fear for my rats’ safety because it’s cold,” she said, adding that she used to have four rats.
With snow falling the first week of the semester many students already had made plans in case VCU canceled classes. But don’t count on Patrick Dean to step into the tub if the flurries stick. The Mclean native said he plans on “staying in my pajamas and not showering at all.”
Debbie Tucker, a senior business major, said she would “stay home, curl up on the couch and watch movies,” while Chelsea Lewis, a first-year student, also plans to stay home if school closes.
She, however, is no stranger to snow-related setbacks. Last year her car got stuck in the snow. This year Lewis, who commutes to class, bought a parking pass and splurged on a “winter shopping spree.”
In addition to battling wintry weather, students face battles against threats to their health-germs, colds, the flu and other sicknesses. Washing hands using antibacterial soap topped students’ list of germ prevention methods. Philesha Paul, a first-year student, drinks herbal tea and other hot beverages.
So what is the most difficult part of the extreme cold this winter? Students’ answers ranged from waking up and leaving the coziness of their houses to dealing with painfully chapped lips.
Melody Smith, an English and Latin major, said she dreads getting fat and losing her tan.
Seong Kim, information systems major, said, “The worst thing about it being so cold outside are that I can’t smoke outside, my ears hurt and my lips bleed and stuff from being chapped.”
Mass Communications 303 class contributed to this story.