Amanda Smith
Lantern Staff
For most students at Butler, the hardest thing to adjust to is living away from home, making good grades and maintaining a social life. Most students do not have to worry about adapting to the weather in Kansas, but there are a few students that have came to Butler from warmer climates and face struggles in adapting to the unfamiliar cold when it hits.
Freshman exercise science major Neimann Jackson is an Atlanta, Georgia native and is at Butler on a football scholarship. Being from Georgia, Jackson rarely experiences temperatures below 30 degrees fahrenheit, but with the recent cold weather Kansans experienced in mid-October, Jackson was caught off guard.
“It’s much colder here,” Jackson said. “I’ve definitely never seen snow in October before. The last time it snowed in Georgia, I was probably in fifth grade.”
Freshman economics major Kenyatta Nyirenda has also been forced to adapt to Kansas’ cold weather. Nyirenda grew up in Malawi, Africa before moving to the United States in the fall. Malawi has a generally hot climate and Nyirenda had not seen snow until coming to Kansas.
“My first thought was, ‘Am I going to survive winter? This is going to be the worst winter ever’,” Nyirenda said.
In fact, even Kansas natives have not seen snow so early in the fall or winter. The snow on Monday, Oct. 15 set a record for the earliest snowfall in Kansas history.
In order to attempt to combat these struggles students may face, many staff members at Butler have dedicated time and money into making the transition for these students smoother.
Coordinator of Student Involvement and Development Andrea Weiss, among other staff members, recognizes these issues and does what she can to aid students.
“We always have students from warmer climates in need of heavier clothing once they arrive and the weather changes,” Weiss said. “That’s why I always have a closet full of warm clothes when the colder weather approaches for the students that are in need.”
According to Weiss, the most recent donation towards the issue was from Chief of Police Jason Kenney who bought a pair of warm boots for one of the students in need.
“I think it’s awesome that the people here are doing that,” Nyirenda said. “Where I’m from people don’t care, but here people are so endearing. I like that custom.”