Spring is in the air, although this winter seems cruelly prolonged, and March is not quite going out like a lamb. A look at how past Boston College students celebrated the first days of spring can serve to remind us of the warm days that are to come.
One of the most prominent changes around campus has been expressed through BC students’ fashion choices. The signs of spring are evident, as students have gradually been shifting from boots to Toms, Sperrys, and flats. Sweaters are slowly being weaned out, puffy winter jackets are being replaced with lighter North Faces, and skirts and dresses are becoming more common.
As Jessie Rosen describes in the March 31, 2005 edition of The Heights, BC students are “pushing summer,” as “Jeans have been cuffed and paired with sockless ‘mocs. Puffy North Faces have been replaced by blazers and ponchos. One in 10 people are wearing flipflops on a regular basis. We’re going to bars without coats, intentionally.”
Rosen goes on, explaining that even though “the ‘feels like’ didn’t make it over 40 degrees,” students are still dressing as if it’s 20 degrees warmer, in anticipation of the weather to come.
With spring also comes the opportunity to actually spend time outside, instead of bundling up and strategically speed-walking from building to building, trying to minimize the amount of time spent in the cold winter air.
You begin to see students you’ve never seen before-as Annie Barrett wrote on April 4, 2000, “Classmates whose existence has been doubted for months suddenly emerge, bleary-eyed, from the depths of darkness (their dorm rooms).”
The walk from Lower to Middle Campus is becoming enjoyable, and more people can be seen on Stokes Lawn or by the St. Ignatius statue eating lunch, tossing a Frisbee, reading, or sitting with friends.
In the March 31, 2005 issue of The Heights, Meg Beste writes, “The weather’s getting warmer, and that means spring is just around the corner. With it comes tons of fresh fruits and veggies.”
And while in 2005 fresh fruits were added to the salad bar, today’s added selection of fresh blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and mangoes by the registers are a welcome change to the dining hall menu.
Events at and around BC also become more numerous in the spring. Most March editions of The Heights contain spring events previews. The March 26, 2009 issue, for example, highlights the Sleeping Beauty Boston Ballet performance (reminiscent of this year’s Cinderella version), the Independent Film Festival of Boston, and performances at the Boston Symphony Hall.
Sports also feature prominently, as headlines about March Madness, the Frozen Four, and the start of baseball season appear frequently throughout the months of March.
Commonly mentioned BC performances include a cappella Spring Cafes, Showdown, BC bOp!, and Dance Ensemble shows.
The March 31, 2014 edition also recommends getting outside and taking advantage of the city by going to Red Sox games, spending time in the Boston Common and the Public Gardens, shopping on Newbury Street, or, in case of rain, seeing some of the spring movies.
The Spring Concert, depending on the year, generated much excitement or disappointment around campus. Acts such as Talib Kweli, Howie Day, and Robert Randolph in 2005 “failed to deliver” (March 31, 2005), whereas 2006’s Kanye West and 2007’s Third Eye Blind Spring Concerts generated much excitement on campus.
Anticipation is also evident for Marathon Monday, as columns and articles were written weeks in advance. Although Boston Marathons of the past didn’t have the same significance as they do this year, they still represented the coming of spring, as BC students celebrated together and cheered on their fellow Bostonians.
With all these past BC traditions to remind of us the spring that is to come, a look at Jacquelyn Herder’s column in the March 29, 2010 issue puts it best: “The long, lazy days that I have spent outside with my friends are among my favorite BC memories.”
In Herder’s words, “So, March, when are you going to stop this whole lion business and start showing us that gentler side?”
