Here are some fun facts recapping week two so far: Campus was plagued by negative degree weather (-2 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact); the first snow of the term has fallen, followed by the annual midnight snowball fight; and we are pushing around 500 active COVID-19 cases on campus. In fact, this issue was edited remotely as most of us are either in COVID-19 isolation or awaiting a positive test result. And yet, campus feels eerily normal. The snowy landscape and bustle of students in warm layers look and feel familiar, although face masks peep through thick scarves and remind us that we are in the midst of a pandemic. On top of the usual winter-time stresses, like frostbite, seasonal depression and losing feeling in your extremities, we are also worried about contracting an airborne illness which seems to be growing faster than the line at the Hop during dinner time.
This week at Mirror we dive head-first into winter term. We speak with ’25s about their fears and expectations for the term, as well as looking into how Dartmouth students dress, or do not dress, appropriately for the winter. We talk winter-term bucket lists and recount stories of Dartmouth students’ first Hanover winter. We also hear from a student who decided to break the taboo and request to read his admissions file.
It’s a weird time to be at Dartmouth. It’s really, really cold. It also feels a bit like the apocalypse. But it’s also incredibly beautiful, and the opportunity to explore the outdoors is open to anyone with warm socks and a good hat. So we will keep chugging along, going through the motions, living our lives as close to normal. Students may be dropping like flies, but — unlike the temperature — morale is still high.
