9 Things You Can Expect to See Once it Gets Warm Out in 'Cuse

Syracuse University is located on a campus that is winter for a good 70 percent of the academic year. Students go months without a day above freezing and brave the harsh winters each and every year. But just as much as students despite the months in the arctic, they embrace the “nicer” days toward the end of the year in May.

When Mother Nature finally sends a warm-ish breeze Central New York’s way, students are sure to capitalize on it, even if the weather is just slightly above 45 degrees. Below are some of the things you will inevitably see when the weather gets even just a little bit nicer in Syracuse.

1. Shorts... lots and lots of shorts. When temperatures climb into the territory of somewhat-kinda-sorta spring, students dig deep into their dorm dressers and bust out shorts, comfy, denim and khaki alike, to wear to class that entire week. Even while living in California, where the weather was always nice, I didn’t see as many gym short clad peoples as I do when the climate climbs on this campus. With goosebumped legs and a lack of regard for looking dumb, SU students wear shorts on that first warm day, ALWAYS.

2. Students generally seem way happier. And that's solely because they are not walking to class in what’s classified as “dangerously” cold temperatures. They may even smile at their peers during this walk. They also smile for the plethora of selfies they can now take in the great outdoors, when they utilize Snapchat’s temperature display to show that it is an “OMG SO WARM” day of 51 degrees.

3. Two words: day rages. When the blizzard finally ends in late March or early April students suddenly have a complete disregard for any of their classes or responsibilities and begin to party outdoors, probably because they’ve missed the great outdoors so much. These outdoor, day-long parties are legitimately in celebration of a warm day, and very truly happen each day temperatures are warm until the school year’s end.

4. Quad chilling. When weather stops becoming cause to never leave your apartment anymore, students begin to utilize one of the university’s nicest outdoor features, the large, open quad. With warmer temps come students chilling on the quad, doing everything from homework, to socializing to even sneaking a grape blunt out there to puff, puff, pass as they take in the warm breeze and their short-clad peers no longer sprinting to and from class.

5. Country music enjoyment. With the newly warm weather, and sometimes the presence of sun, students feel apparently more inclined to play country music, completely disregarding the fact that most of the fraternity folk blasting it don’t actually enjoy country music even a little. As the dages dage, the country music becomes an ever-present anthem to remind us that it is, in fact, nice enough out to wear shorts and drink beers on a porch at 1:32 p.m.

6. Apparel confusion. In late March, when those 43 degree days start comin’, you see a lot of students on campus divided when it comes to what they should wear to class. Some, as aforementioned just a few times, will wear shorts, a light hoodie and sneakers to class, clearly thinking that Summer is already upon us. Others, more realistic about the weather and the fact that even a day of 50 degrees is just 18 degrees above the temperature of freezing, will still wear their parkas to class, only to sit in a pool of sweat once they make it to their lecture. #CuseProbs

7. That one friend with a grill suddenly attains basketball player levels of popularity. Everyone wants to grill outside. Probably just so they can Snapchat it, but some may actually want to utilize the nice weather by way of preparing their meals of meat in the great outdoors, caveman status. So if you have a grill, you know what I mean about the increase in the number of “What’re you up to later?” texts from “friends” you haven’t spoken to since AST 101.

8. Instagrams of the temperature. Nothing says “I’m really enjoying this nice weather” quite like Instagramming a screenshot of the iPhone weather app. I mean, maybe if your caption is really creative, or if it were randomly 92 degrees in April then those would be appropriate. But in general, we all know what temperature it is outside without you uploading a filtered photo of it. Thanks, though.

9. Frozen yogurt. Froyo and other warm weather treats will also pop up on your social media at the first sight of rising temps. You also may see increased frozen yogurt consumption in real-time on Marshall street, where Yogurtland’s sales will inevitably sky-rocket as betches more so enjoy frozen yogurt when they are not living in a frozen tundra.

If and when you see the above, don’t think what’s happening strange. It’s completely normal in Syracuseland.

Photo by Adham Elsharkawi