Sometimes I think it’s a shame we’re not away at school in the summer and home during the gloomy months of winter. For the majority of the school year, the residential areas on campus are reminiscent of an old-fashioned ghost town. While the temperatures hover in the teens and snowfall frequents the forecast, students stay huddled within the warmth of their rooms or apartments, only venturing outside when they have to attend class or their hunger simply becomes unbearable. In recent weeks, there have been a few spring-like days that have brought life to campus again. When the thermometer reached over 80 degrees, students lay sprawled out on the quad soaking up the rays while volleyballs and Frisbees flew overhead.

Some of my favorite aspects of Stockton in the springtime are the various barbecues hosted for the students by different organizations. Not only is this a huge relief for those who are running out of meal swipes at this point in the semester, but these gatherings offer students a chance to socialize with neighbors they never even knew they had, and enjoy the natural beauty of our campus at the same time. Neighborhood Watch hosted a barbecue in the freshman quad on one of the warm-weather days and received an overwhelming response from the student body. My friends and I had such a pleasant experience, we decided to attend the SET barbecue at Oasis the following week!

Though the weather wasn’t quite as enjoyable, SET put on a great event including food, live music, a surfboard simulator and a tie-dye tee shirt station! As a freshman, I found these events to be a great way to experience other members of the Stockton community and come together to socialize in a pleasant atmosphere- and the free food was definitely a key factor! I have my fingers crossed the weather decides to cooperate again before the end of the semester so that we might be able to get out and enjoy each other’s company once again.  When the weather is nice, Stockton in the springtime is a wonderful place to be.