As the weather takes a dramatic shift on Marshall University’s campus, students are beginning to feel the chill. With the weekly forecast in Huntington only showing a high of 48 degrees and a chance of rain most days, students are attempting to stay warm as they finish their fall semester. 

Students flocked to the campus Starbucks in the Memorial Student Center Nov. 12, bundled in sweaters and beanies, hot drinks in hand. It is clear that the cold has set in on campus, and students are adjusting to the chilly bite of a West Virginia autumn. 

“I went and bought a new winter coat this past weekend,” said Abbie Wright, a sophomore elementary and special education major. “I’ve also transitioned from my usual iced coffee to a peppermint mocha to get into the Christmas spirit.” 

Ashley Haskell, a first-year social work major, was especially bundled up. 

“It’s important to use layers when the weather feels like this, to be extra comfortable,” she said. “It can look really cute too.” 

A struggle experienced by many Marshall students this time of year is the challenge that comes with leaving a warm bed and having to venture out to classes. 

“It’s hard for me to come to class on a cold day like this because I commute,” Hannah Hickman, first-year criminal justice major, said. “It’s so easy to just stay under your covers and watch Netflix during this time of the year.” 

This struggle is not exclusive to commuters, though. Hunter King, a first-year English education major, said he has the same problem, and he lives on campus. 

“I keep the temperature in my dorm room pretty cold,” he said. “I tried to get out of bed this morning, and it was so cold, it just didn’t happen for me. I rolled back over and covered up.” 

The end-of-semester blues coupled with the colder weather has student motivation stagnating, and campus coffee shops bustling with students seeking caffeine to get them up and ready.

“This is my second cup of coffee,” said Becca Martin, a junior business management major. “We’re all so tired, and it’s so cold that we want to stay in bed. But this is a busy part of the semester for a lot of us, so we just have to keep going.”  

Hannah Graham can be contacted at [email protected].