As the spring semester starts for AIC students and faculty, many come back to a rather green campus rather than seeing the grounds covered in snow.

After barely escaping with a white Christmas, the trend of very little snow continues into the semester.

There’s plenty of rain and warm fronts passing through the area causing the last of the snow to melt. In addition, there seems to be no sign of snow coming as the weeks get warmer and warmer.

Some students admit they miss the snow on the campus.

When it came to wondering if the warmer weather affected students schooling, a simple response from Julia Montana, a junior student who lives on campus, said “Yes.” In addition, when asked about snow, the answer was also a simple “Yes.”

Other students on the other hand prefer the warm weather.

“Less snow has certainly made school easier,” said Ariana Caci, also a junior student, who commutes every day to campus.

“But when there is a huge snowstorm and AIC refuses to cancel let alone delay, I definitely wish there were more snow days,” Caci said.

The only real cold factor left during the day is strong winds, which lead to relatively cold wind chills – some days have felt like in the 10s and even single digits. Even though it doesn’t seem like a lot, students are recommended to dress for the weather in case conditions deteriorate through the day and into the evening.

The main campus isn’t the only thing being affected by the small snow amounts. Local plow drivers who rely on snow to make a couple extra dollars will likely fall short of their goals for the winter after the few times the trucks have had to be used.

Snow and ski resorts that rely on snow are also suffering.

Even with artificial snow, many skiers prefer a light fresh coating of snow rather than the stuff that the resorts put up to stay open with the warmer weather. And when there’s no snow back home, many people aren’t thinking about heading north to ski.

Even though snow is near nonexistent, the threat of ice still remains, as temperatures dip well below the freezing point.

Run off from melting snow left over can still create icy spots, especially in corners. Rain left over from earlier showers still has a chance to freeze, since most of the salt on the roads has washed away.

One thing many people are also enjoying about the mild winter is the lack of potholes in the road. The roads are much smoother, and drivers don’t have to swerve everywhere to avoid damaging their cars.

The only thing for certain that the warmer weather is making life difficult for the ice skating rink out on the quad. The rink froze well over winter break, but is melting quickly now. Soon, there will be an early open swimming pool on the quad.

Whether we will have a warm rest of the winter, or if we will get slammed with last minute snow storms is anyone’s guess.

“The warmer weather is certainly odd,” said Caci.

“In addition, it is a little unnatural to have such little snow in New England this time of year,” she added.

But with the warmer weather, students have slightly more freedom to do activities outside without having to bundle up and stay warm.