If the loud music from the baseball field making its humble return this past week didn’t clue you in to the fact that spring has sprung, then the amazing weather Rochester has had the past two weeks should do the trick.
Rochester has graced UR with a reprieve from the cold and sent out a reminder that warmth is only a month or two away. This past week, the temperature reached a high of 73 degrees, giving a taste of what is yet to come (hopefully) for a beautiful spring.
The weather breathed life into the UR community as well. Students switched their coats for shorts on the warmer days of the week. Students crowded Eastman Quad, hanging out with friends, participating in both Zoom classes and small discussions moved outdoors by professors, and/or just basking in the sun.
Senior Justine Drappeau split her time outside between work and socializing with friends.
“On Sunday I just lounged on the quad with friends, and then Monday I sat on the porch [in Rush Rhees] and sat there all day and did work […] [the weather] made me realize how real seasonal depression actually is.”
Junior Brian Amabilino Perez shared the same sentiment, and has been spending time outside with friends as well. “I’ve been walking around, taking some walks with friends, I’ve been off-campus as well,” Amabilino Perez shared. “It’s definitely a good change, because meeting outside obviously means you can [be] with more people, meet in groups, and have a nice fun time playing sports outside, or just having a picnic.”
The return of nicer weather has allowed UR athletic teams to utilize the non-snow covered fields for practice as well. Sophomore Madison Turner has not only been enjoying the weather, but also spending time practicing outside with the UR Softball team.
“I’ve been able to get outside a lot, and being on the Softball team, we’ve been able to practice a lot outside, so that’s been good, too,” Turner said. “It’s been my first spring on campus […] so it’s been exciting to see the weather change and be able to enjoy the outdoors.”
Sophomore Brenda Hernandez-Romero has spent time outside running, and while she enjoys the nice weather, misses cold weather for her runs.
“I’m more of a winter person, so I like running more in the snow when I can,” Hernandez-Romero said. “When you’re running you get hot, so with the cold weather it’s nice, but at the same time, having this nice weather is good for hanging out with friends outside […] It’s safer to hang out outside so you can follow the COVID[-19] rules and enjoy some of the vitamin D.”
“No, I want it to snow really badly when we’re close to April,” Sophomore Courtney Jung joked, agreeing that the warm weather was enjoyable. “We’re kind of searching right now for anything that’s good. We can’t even socialize outside [most of the year], so the weather gives us the opportunity to […] seek out good things.”
