It is looking like another week of subfreezing temperatures, consistent snow, and painful walks from the library to Kirner-Johnson (KJ). Everyone knows that the winters in Central New York are brutal, and it does not seem like we can do much about it. The freezing cold winter months change the mood of the entire campus.

Recently, there has been increased awareness around Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a mood disorder characterized by depression that appears as a response to the long and dark winter months. SAD has serious symptoms, such as low energy levels, being unable to concentrate, and having changes in appetite. Although an increase in awareness around this issue is beneficial, it is not enough to solve this problem.

Unlike many other cold weather schools, Hamilton has very few winter activities to improve these months. Hamilton should implement new programming to make winter fun on the Hill. While creating something similar to the January Term offered at Middlebury and Bates would be the best solution, this would involve changing the core curriculum and is ultimately unrealistic. Despite this, there are still numerous activities could brighten the mood on campus and lift people’s spirits.

First, I’ll start with skiing and snowboarding activities. Most skiing options are far away and expensive. What if instead of a big ski trip at the end of Winter Break there were several ski trips throughout the first weekends of the semester? If Hamilton subsidized the transportation and equipment more students would have the option to enjoy a ski trip.

Second, I suggest the creation of an outdoor ice rink. Many Hamilton students grew up ice skating, and even those that did not may want to learn or try with friends. HamSkate events may be well attended, but imagine a small outdoor rink on the quad between Commons and Dunham. Students would be able to skate outside whenever they please.

Third, I suggest an intramural snow football league. There is already flag football in the fall, why not in the winter? A field could easily be organized on the quad in front of South and the Chapel.

So far my first three ideas all involve the outdoors and athletics. Now I will share three potential fun indoor winter activities.

One of my favorite ways to spend cold winter nights with my family is to do puzzles. What if there was a bi-weekly puzzle competition? There could be different levels of difficulty based on the number of pieces in a puzzle. All students competing in a given level would have the same puzzle and would race to complete it.

A similar idea is a cooking competition. Students could cook whatever they wanted, be it cookies or chili. A panel of judges would perform a blind taste test and judge the contestants. Good food and some friendly competition — what could go wrong?

Another idea is to have weekly movie screenings on campus. What is a better way to spend a frigid day than indoors with some friends watching a movie? The films could be educational documentaries, and a professor could lead a discussion after the film. This could be hosted in the newly furnished Sadove basement. It would be a fun way to incorporate this new social space into the lives of students.

Finally, the biggest (and least realistic) idea. Hamilton College should consider altering its schedule. If the administration removed a couple days off of Spring Break and created a long weekend without class in the middle of February, perhaps students could experience a truly relaxing and fun “Feb Fest.” I cannot wait for the Lucas Brothers to come next week, but still have class that day and the next. What if we had off a Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday? All of the programming ideas I mentioned earlier could be packed into these couple days. This would allow students to catch up on work and sleep or enjoy the fun activities with their friends.

While I have written about the importance of mental health days before, I believe they are even more important in the painfully cold winter. This is a serious issue and really should be changed to improve the lives of students on campus. Let’s work together to make positive change so that winter on the Hill can be not only bearable, but even fun!