The lawn chairs in the quad are empty, sitting alone in the cold.
The sand in the volleyball courts looks pristine and untouched.
For the most part everyone walking around outside is either going to class, back to his or her dorm, or to get something to eat.
Why? Because winter is coming.
It is getting cold outside and people are avoiding outdoor activities.
It is warm inside, and who wants to pass that up for a literal game of freeze tag?
As the temperature drops, students are finding other ways to spend their free time: video games, movie nights or going to ShipRec or the CUB.
Junior Ian Lloyd’s free time is used to play video games and keep up with AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”
“When it is warmer out I usually hang out with friends and play football or basketball or something,” he said. “But now, when I come home, I just want to stay there because it’s cold outside.”
Other students have similar reactions to the cold. Fewer and fewer people are venturing outside, preferring to stay indoors.
Heather Weiss, another junior at SU and a member of the cross-country and track-and-field teams, tries to stay warm as much as possible.
With the temperature dropping Heather only goes outside when she has to run.
“During the summer I would go on road trips with my friends, ride my bike and run,” Weiss said. “I think the summer is meant to be fun, so I run on as little sleep as possible and try to cram in everything I can when I’m not working.
“As for now, I bundle up, watch a lot more TV and movies since I can’t be as active outside,” she said. “I still run, but I’m not a winter person whatsoever.”
By and large Shippensburg University students tend to retreat to their dorm rooms or houses when the winter winds start to howl.
Until it starts to snow that is.
SU student Billy Sievers can not wait for the inevitable snowball fights he and his friends will have.
He also has a special tradition for the first winter snow.
“I plan on going out in my bathing suit and jumping in the snow because it’s the best,” said Sievers.
With the first official day of winter just around the corner, hopefully Sievers will not have to wait too long.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.