One day it started raining...

Writing an article about rain during these sunny days may seem strange, but I have never given up an opportunity to discuss the weather. All this sunshine does is remind me of the chaos when the rains came. Jaded rain-connoisseurs looking up wearily as the heavens opened; others unaccustomed to the water coming from the sky, could only sit in a corner cowering, rocking as they asked when this would be over. Okay, so I exaggerate. However, more than a few of us were surprised by the heavy rains. Most people didn’t have the gear to deal with the torrential rain; Umbrellas rapidly disappeared from campus stores, and I heard a couple of students discussing how the only umbrellas that were left were Mudd umbrellas, and there was no way they were going to walk around with those (having said that a significant portion of the student body managed to produce Wellingtons… maybe some people are more prepared than others). It rained hard this year, so what?  Well, sure, we only had about three and a half inches of rain in February so far, and two and a half inches fell just on  Feb 6. This may seem like a fluke, but data taken over a 86 year period suggests that we have an average of about 18 inches of rain a year, with most happening January through March. My point is this: Why can’t Facilities and Services look into better drainage? I  may be biased living in Marks Hall, right at the bottom of campus where all the rain flows to, but even the walk to the apartments has had flooding problems. In January there was a very damp week (seven inches, if you're interested) and throughout last week, the paths to campus from Marks, and the apartments I am told, were flooded with mini rivers and lakes. Dinner was an exercise in trying to keep your feet only mildy damp, rather than, as was often the case, soaked.

People may state that with the fluctuations of rainfall year to year, sorting out the drainage problems would not be a beneficial use of resources. I, and all the others affected by this disagree. We spend enough money to be here, we shouldn’t need to spend money on renting canoes next January.