By Emme McDonald, Stentorian Staff Writer
Winter on campus can be gloomy, especially when the sun is down practically as soon as you get out of class. You can still get off campus via bus, but rotting in bed often feels more tempting than braving public transportation, not to mention the cold. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to pass the time without leaving school! Here are a few recommendations for activities to survive the Dark Months at NCSSM:
Go to bed early:
Sure, keep telling yourself that.
Sweet treats in Hunt Kitchen:
Sick of the ice cream machine breaking down in PFM? Take things into your own hands and whip up some baked goods in Hunt kitchen! From chocolate chip cookies to brownies to crème brulées – wait, scratch that one, I don’t trust y’all with blowtorches – the possibilities are endless. Bring your friends to share or devour the whole pan yourself!
Hall Activities:
Did you know that CCs host 12 or more hall events every month? Check your hall calendar to see what’s coming up, and keep an eye out for interhall events where you can cook pancakes for your off-hall friends (and demolish your off-hall enemies in Mario Kart)! Hall activities are a great way to socialize with friends and relax after a long week of work: my personal favorites are painting, video games, and Capture the Flag.
Library Room Lock In:
Fallen behind on work and need a distraction-free environment to focus? Reserve one of the library’s Yellow Rooms and invite your friends to join you! Each Yellow Room has a whiteboard wall and a ClearTouch screen with HDMI so you can collaborate easily. Talk to a librarian to book a time or, if you’re lucky, grab an empty room before anyone else gets there. Just keep in mind that you can be kicked out if someone with a reservation comes to claim it!
Sports (Intramural and Varsity):
One great way to leave campus legally during the dark winter months is to enroll in a sport like swimming, which buses over to Campus Hills for every practice. Bring some friends, and it’s practically an SAB Loop, except a lot colder and wetter. Want to get some energy out but don’t have the time for daily practices? Try intramural sports, which tend to be low-pressure and beginner-friendly! Winter offerings last year included dodgeball, badminton, and volleyball.
Party games (Online and Paper):
Woolworth and most hall lounges are well-stocked with board games of all kinds, many of which are perfect for cold, dark winter nights; some that I’ve tried recently are Codenames and Exploding Kittens. But if you’re chronically online like me and keep trying to scroll on your cards, online games might be more your speed. Some easily accessible and fun games include skribbl.io, Gartic Phone, and all those deranged group games on Roblox (if you’re up to dodging the screaming children and questionable adults that lurk on that platform). With larger groups, Jackbox Games can be super entertaining, though they do cost money. Keep an eye out for sales to scoop up a bunch for a reasonable price!
SAB Events:
The Student Activities Board is an amazing source of, well, activities all year-round! The best way to keep yourself informed on what’s coming up is to subscribe to the NCSSM Activities Google Calendar and to check the TWAN regularly. The highlight of the week during winter is definitely SAB loops, which take people to popular locations around Durham after dark (most often 9th Street). One of the best things about SAB is that you can get involved, too! Whether you have an idea for a new pickle cotton candy flavor or want to have a say in the prom decor, attending SAB meetings will keep you busy and in the loop for campus activities during the winter.
It’s natural to want to get away from the academics of school every once in a while, so NCSSM winters are made all the more dreary by keeping you in one place. But don’t lose hope! There’s still a lot of fun to be had right here on school grounds. And who knows, maybe participating will give you a greater awareness of the vibrant campus life present the rest of the year!
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