With weather in the 50s, groups of students could be found playing games together on the lawns outside of Butler Library this weekend.

The frigid, snow-covered start to Spring Semester (rendering the name a bit ironic) left the warm days of NSOP and early fall further away than ever in the minds of Columbia’s returning student body. However, this past weekend graced New York City with weather comfortably in the 50s, allowing certain students to return to their recreational callings: spikeball and frisbee on the Butler Lawns. No matter that the grass was very dead and assignments had piled up that past week; this was an opportunity not to be missed! And what is Morningside campus during warm weather but a grand spikeball and frisbee arena that just happens to be surrounded by buildings where academic pursuits may occur.

But the palpable joy of Bulter Lawns’ amateur athletes didn’t spread to everyone. Other groups of students also took this weekend’s warmth as an opportunity to enjoy a leisurely picnic with friends or work on an assignment while getting some vitamin D. And as local families (and many, many dogs) flocked to campus to enjoy the sun, there were certainly many distractions. Add a group of enthusiastic spikeballers yelling profanities when they miss a pass, and a bit of irritated energy might be born from fellow outdoors-enjoyers. And don’t even mention the ever-present fear of getting hit with a rogue frisbee while trying to get to Butler for a (probably depressing) study session. Definitely the worst. It happens to the best of us, but also, dear frisbee-ers: please simply get better at throwing frisbees. You’re a hazard.

No matter any perceived student tensions, the reemergence of spikeballers and frisbee-ers is a classically-college marker of the beginning of the end of winter. And they’re also pretty fun to watch if you have nothing better to do. Personally, it brings me hope that consistently warmer days are on the horizon and even makes me a bit nostalgic for NSOP (though I do love the snow… I’m just tired of my winter wardrobe y’know!). And anyways, the Butler Lawns look so sad during the winter when they’re all empty. The presence of enthusiastic, if intrusive students playing games together feels like a welcome return Morningside campus’ true nature. Hey, maybe next time, ask to join them!

Edit: 12 hours after writing this, campus was covered in snow -_-

either yesterday or summer but DEFINITELY not today via Bwarchives