Standing in the lobby of the SAU, there are less than 100 meters that separate me from my classroom. With my scarf wrapped tightly around my neck and layers of clothing underneath my green jacket, I know what awaits me out there: A desolate, windswept wasteland.

The grey skies have set in. As Rochester gears up for its billowing blustery winter months, RIT begins to hunker down and prepare itself for the worst. We are about to embark on a campus metamorphosis.

It happens every year, the bitter cold of winter creeps into every corner of the outdoors. What always bothers me is what it does to the atmosphere. In the fall and spring, you see people with their heads up, looking around, making eye contact with passers by. By the time Oct. 15 rolls around, there are no more eyes. Everyone is zipped up, staring at their feet, pretending the world around them doesn’t exist.

That’s depressing, but it’s also just the curse of geography. There’s nothing anybody can do about the weather, we put up with it. Some of us keep warm with a spot of whiskey on the weekends, others get up on the pad and pound out some DDR (see “The Quest for the Student Voice”), and a few find another warm body to curl up next to.

Thankfully, somebody in the governance system at RIT came up with a new way to enjoy winter. Freeze Fest (see “Staff Council”), a winter-themed carnival, will be an interesting mix of Brick City and Spring Fest. Now, I’m usually pretty skeptical about anything that comes down from the RIT upper-ups, but I think they might have something here.

It’s set to feature a sled design competition, a chili cook-off and a (family friendly) Super Bowl party. For some reason, I’ve just got a good feeling about it, so I’m going to go ahead and give it my tentative endorsement (plus, I’m angling for a judge’s chair in the brownie baking contest).

The only downside is that it’s in the middle of winter, which, I’m sorry to say, is still four months away.

While Reporter doesn’t have a weather section, I will leave you with this bit of advice for the next few months: Remember to put on your booties, ‘cause it’s cooold out there today.