Walking up the frozen Esplanade, the wind rushed into my face, effectively rendering my scarf, hat and hoodie useless. I saw only two or three people rushing from building to building. The PARTA bus stop by the Student Center was empty, and the Starbucks was closed.

This is the frigid reality of a cold day at Kent State.

As the temperature dropped to 3 degrees below zero, the wind chill reached a teeth-chattering minus 30. I rubbed my hands together and blew hot air into them, thinking this would make me warmer. Never mind that I can no longer feel my ears.

After waiting at the bus stop for about 10 minutes, which seemed like an eternity, I felt a tremendous gust of wind nearly sweep me off my double-socked feet. It’s at this point when I realized waiting for the next PARTA bus was a fruitless endeavor.

I began making the mountainous trek back to my apartment, slipping and sliding, but somehow, I managed to stay on my feet.

In the roughly 30 minutes since I left my apartment, trudging through the deserted campus, I realized nobody was going to talk about why they’re outside braving the elements – probably because those who are outside are not too keen on staying outside, certainly not long enough to talk to a reporter about the weather.

After climbing the stairs to my apartment, I opened the door and felt the heat wash over me. I started some coffee and fell onto my couch, convinced I’d stay there until summer.

Finally warmed up, having regained feeling in my fingers and ears, I got to work on some homework, dreading the thought of venturing back into the frozen tundra that enveloped Kent.

David Williams is a senior reporter. Contact him at [email protected].