As the semester comes to a close, more NIU students are skipping class.

The reason behind the decline in attendance could be attributed to students trying to finish their assignments, said Elizabeth Miller, NIU associate professor of family and child studies.

Freshmen tend to be discouraged from showing up to class because of the cold weather, Miller said. Senior and graduate students tend to show up no matter what the weather.

Freshman marketing major Harriet Garris has been in trouble for skipping class.

“It is cold out and you don’t want go to class,” Garris said. “It is too much walking and nobody wants to go to class.”

Garris is not alone in class absence due to cold weather.

“If it is raining or cold, it is a lot easier to say ‘I will skip class and make it up later,’” said Christopher Ducey, a senior computer science major.

The weather makes people lazy and they prefer to stay in their rooms, said freshman journalism major Cori Valenta.

Valenta, who lives in Grant Towers, said it is too far to walk to class and that it is sometimes better to stay in her room.

Jenny Challand, a senior elementary education major, said she does not skip class because of the cold weather. Most of Challand’s friends, who are in the honors program, would never skip either, she said.

Overall, students get lazy when it comes to the mix of cold weather and classes, Challand said.