On cold weather behavior…
You should really just use your (well-bundled) head.
Before leaving the house to do about anything in these temperatures, just think about what your mother would say. As in:
• DO clip your mittens, hats, scarves, earmuffs, snowshoes etc., to your coat. You’re going to want those walking home after all those hot nuts at Tony’s. They’re put to better use on your body than in the bar’s lost and found.
• DON’T walk on the pond behind Baker University Center. I mean, seriously? You’ve got to have coconut-sized cojones or a brain the size of peanut to do that.
• DO shovel your sidewalk if you live off campus. C’mon, it’s common courtesy. Plus, it could be a liability if someone injures him or herself on the sidewalk in front of your house. It’s your responsibility, not the city’s.
• DON’T believe that a “beer blanket” or a “gin jacket” are actual things. They’re not. Despite your impression that some libations might warm you up, drinking alcohol can actually lower your core body temperature. Besides, this is the type of weather in which you’ll want to have your wits about you.
• DO think in terms of layers. You can still wear shorts and a tank top to Ping Center, but throw on two pairs of sweatpants and a few sweaters for the trek there and back.
• DON’T get your hopes up that the university will stay closed all week. Although the temperatures are going to stay low, the chances of another university closure are too.
• DO, if you live off campus, listen to your electric and gas providers when they provide instructions on how to heat your home and prevent your pipes from freezing. Burst pipes are a good way to ruin your off day.
• DON’T forget to tell your friends to pick up The Post. We walked uphill both ways through the snow to make this newspaper. Campus might be closed, but the presses still run.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors.
