The spring semester brings a different vibe to campus when it comes to student life. The start of the year has its own difficulties, such as transportation in colder temperatures, weather preventing students from attending events and students experiencing burnout.
One of the biggest challenges during cold weather or snow is transportation. Students may not want to walk to classes, especially if there is snow, ice or a wind chill making it freezing outside. Students can take the Huskie Buses in poor weather; however, the buses may have challenges of their own.
Students may also have concerns about the buses, such as potential delays in snow or accessibility in icy conditions.
Michael Neuenkirchen, transit manager for the city of DeKalb, said the Huskie Buses work with the city of DeKalb street department in snowy weather to keep the buses running.
“We work with the city street department and NIU’s street department on things like what are road conditions,” Neuenkirchen said. “What we try to do when there’s adverse conditions – snow, ice, bitter cold – we’ll place information in the bus tracker to let people know routes are running behind or running late, and then we do the best we can to try to communicate that way.”
To avoid missing the bus, head to the stop early before it arrives. While this may result in students having to stand outside in the winter weather a little longer, it’s a better alternative than missing the bus and being late to class.
Students can check the schedule on DeKalb City’s website and stay up to date with bus delays or changes through the SPOT app, a public transit tracking app available for download on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Students may be less willing to hang out in the spring semester due to being more focused on academics or still feeling burnt out from the fall semester.
Meghan Harms, a senior nursing major, said she is a little less connected socially in the spring semester compared to the fall.
“I feel like there’s a lot of stuff going on academic wise, and thinking about summer internships or other things to do about the summer, scholarships, things like that, so there’s a lot more academically to think about than socially,” Harms said.
Harms’ routine has also changed in the spring semester compared to the fall.
“Now that I live off campus, I definitely have to worry about warming up my car and things like that. And sometimes the parking lots are a little bit more filled and having to worry about slipping and falling,” Harms said. “So definitely providing a lot more time, especially in the morning. And I don’t go out as much as I would in fall semester just because it gets dark so early.”
The Student Wellness department hosts a variety of events where students can work on their wellness and mental health to kick those winter blues.
Crashout Course, a new program through Student Wellness, is a workshop that helps you not crash out and feel overwhelmed during the semester. Student Wellness teaches students new strategies, tips and tricks for managing stress and burnout. The workshop can be attended either virtually or in-person and it will be offered twice a week.
Chilling with Chase is a bimonthly event, held in the OASIS space in the Holmes Student Center, where students can go relax and spend time with Chase the therapy dog. Chilling with Chase was created to help students better manage stress, because animals can help to relax.
Procrastination Cafe is a weekly event where students can work on assignments. Students who may be procrastinating on assignments are strongly encouraged to attend to break bad habits.
During Procrastination Cafe, students write down what they want to accomplish and receive a prize if they succeed. Students also have snacks and coffee to enjoy.
This semester the locations will alternate between the Holmes Student Center and the Founders Memorial Library, and there will be a peer academic coach at every Procrastination Cafe event.
Crafting Connections is a weekly program every Monday night where students can meet new people while learning a new craft. This program was created to help teach people smarter skills for managing stress and to help students meet others and connect.
Sarah Moskal, associate director of Student Wellness, said attending these events has major benefits for students.
“When you feel well, you do well. These programs can help your overall wellbeing so that you can better succeed in your classes and just your own goals in general. Each of them really focuses on how to better manage your stress and connect with others,” Moskal said. “So overall, these programs are going to help you do what you came here to do, to meet your goals and be the best that you can be.”
Staying involved doesn’t have to be a hassle. While NIU’s spring semester may look and feel quieter, students can still be involved and find their place on campus. After all, we are all Huskies. Happy spring semester, Huskies!
