I'm not exactly sure how big decisions are made at Duke, and I'm hard-pressed to find many students who are, but I imagine that administrators meet and sit around thinking of things that would infuriate the student body-and hopefully try to avoid those things. I also imagine that at the end of this meeting, they swear to carry out their duties and stay away from "the List" (titled "This Will Probably Piss Our Students Off").
But the powers that be seem to have tripped up once again last Thursday. Major news channels reported a chance of snow, and everyone hoped classes would be cancelled. Things were looking up, and students fell asleep, anxiously hoping to wake up to some white powder (and I do mean snow) and a day full of Guitar Hero (I and II) and über-early pre-gaming. Waking up to the one inch of wintry precipitation and classes still scheduled to take place, my buddy list was full of away messages cursing Duke and its snow "policy" (or lack thereof).
Seeing as how so many people were offended by the thought of having to get their toes a little wet in the mostly shoveled slush (that actually looked like it was made with a plastic McDonald's Icee Maker purchased from Toys "R" Us), I decided to do a little research on why the world is experiencing the most whacked-out conditions ever. It had, after all, gone from an unseasonable 75 degrees one day to freezing and "wintry" the next here at Dear Old Duke. And the South wasn't the only place freaking out because of weird weather. Watching the Weather Channel and following the coverage on the couple of inches that fell in Malibu sent me into a laughing fit. The kids there were acting as if it was a sign of the apocalypse.
Then I started thinking about it, and I guess they weren't that far off.
Did you know 2006 was the hottest year ever for the United States? I feel this could begin to explain why so many celebs decided to forego their undies. I mean, why wear underwear? It was pretty warm, so of course frolicking around New York jumping in and out of cars with the paparazzi flashing all around you is a viable option. To hell with the millions that will see your nether regions, it was just that warm. Also, suggestion: Invest in some Uggs. Trust me, this many tights/spandex/mini-skirt-donning girls can't be wrong, and it won't bother you to wear them when it's 35 degrees one day and 70 the next.
But seriously-these weather patterns have scary implications. And not just on students' ability (or desire) to attend classes or on fashion trends. Weather patterns are changing things drastically, causing snow in Malibu and flu outbreaks in the South. Lives are at stake.
Take, for instance, the polar bears.
I watch the Weather Channel constantly (ask any of my friends, I'm not lying here), and because of this I have learned a thing or two about weather patterns. In December 2006, the George W. Bush Administration reported that Arctic Sea ice is melting at record speeds; it'll be totally melted in 40 years. Once the ice is gone, polar bears will be at high risk of disappearing, too.
I know we don't really get to interact with polar bears on a daily basis, but does anything deserve to be stripped of its natural habitat and starved out of the evolutionary circle of life? Because of this scary possibility, the government is reviewing the situation and trying to determine if polar bears belong on the Endangered Species list.
This is all very frightening to me-the bizarre weather changes we see on a daily basis, not to mention the possible extinction of some beautiful animals. I mean, if polar bears are extinct by the time I'm 59, and the USA no longer knows what a winter really is, or what real sunshine feels like, we might as well all call it a wrap.
As students, we spend about nine months at school each year, so I did some research into what we Dukies, from the administration on down, are doing to play our part in protecting the environment. Dorms use fluorescent lighting in permanent fixtures, requiring about two-thirds less energy than the run-of-the-mill incandescent lights and last 10 times as long (is there such a thing as a fluorescent boyfriend?). Also, the WEL (Keohane, whatever) is considered a green building. With permanent fluorescent fixtures, thermostats and designated recycling and trash rooms (reduce, reuse, recycle sounds more like the Duke dating policy though.), the WEL was the first of several buildings on campus to be environmentally friendly. In 2003, Duke also became the first U.S. university certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Rating System.
I hope it is evident Duke does care when it comes to environmental decisions-not so much about our snow days, but about making sure we actually have a winter in a couple of years. Environment-wise, when it comes to administrative decision-making, the head honchos have made some good choices, and most haven't even been on "the List" (we're really not getting the beer taps in Tommy's, are we?).
So remember to toss that Diet Coke into the correct recycling bin (it's the blue one in your room), turn the lights off when you leave (or for whatever other reasons you have for wanting to conceal yourself and/or other people/things.) and print double-sided.
I bet if every single person could do at least those three simple things, we'd all feel a bit better-and maybe we'll get a snow day next year.
Keesha Brown is a Trinity sophomore. Her column runs every other Thursday.
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