As the sun began to set, the snow began to fall. Within hours, it was clear that the campus was being blanketed in thick layers of fluffy snow.
While most St.John’s students have experienced school closure because of the snow, for many this was a first away from home. On Friday, Jan. 28 the school rightly decided to close all campuses the next day, canceling all Saturday classes and leaving Montgoris Dining Hall as the only source of food for campus dwellers. This, along with the closure of many roads, left residents stuck on campus with little to do.
Not to be dissuaded by the foot of snow outside their doors, students took to the campus to build snowmen, get into snowball fights and, of course, play football.
“I saw people running around, slipping and sliding on the snow — it was fun,” stated Javier Roland, a freshman Journalism major. He himself spent much of his day outdoors enjoying the day with his classmates and friends, despite the bitter cold. “I played rugby outside on my snow day. The vibes were very quiet but people were just outside having fun” he continued, describing the campus.
The storm brought the remaining students closer together as they existed in a new shared experience. “Throughout the snowstorm, I felt a greater sense of connection between the students,” said Metka Kunstelj, a freshman Chemistry major. “For so many people it was the first time seeing this much snow, or snow in general. It was a time where everyone became a kid again, since everyone just wanted to have snowball fights, make snow angels, igloos and snowmen.”
Walking around campus that whole day you were sure to see someone enjoying the snowy day.
“Campus always takes on a youthful energy when it snows — with students of all grade levels coming out to play in the snow,” noted Nicole Petrick, a senior Homeland Security major, who has seen a few snow days on campus. “This past snowday was blissful. I enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere that the campus took on while everyone hunkered down for the snow,” Petrick said.
The snow acted as a sort of cocoon for the campus, leaving it quiet and slow moving. No one was in a rush to go anywhere, except maybe get a warm hot chocolate after freezing in the cold with the dining hall acting as a sort of ski lodge/refuge for students.
“Since many residents go home for the weekend, this was one of the few weekends when the dining hall was filled to the max. Although it was very cold, it somehow warmed up everyone’s hearts,” noticed Kunstelj.
“I went to [Montgoris Hall] the morning after and was delighted to see so many people hanging out there for the day to stay out of the cold and enjoy the unlimited food — it reminded me of childhood snow days with everyone peacefully passing the time with each other,” said Petrick.
The day was one of building bonds and snowmen that will last forever — or at least until the sun comes up.
