Sadly, as the days get longer, sunnier, and warmer, we are not back at Penn State to revel in the glory that is springtime. However for my final post, I will be discussing perhaps the students’ favorite springtime/warm weather spot, the HUB lawn.
On the handful of warm days we had before break, the lawn was immediately crowded with people enjoying the sunlight. Whether it be the group of people playing frisbee, the friend group laughing near the top, or the student sitting on the picnic blanket working devotedly on whatever project may be at hand, the lawn attracts all types of people for activities of almost every scenario.
It is the perfect place to take advantage of the warmer weather after a winter trapped inside, however true devoted students who sit on the lawn and manage to do work without getting distracted can all agree on a handful of things.
First, the WiFi on the lawn is bad. And I mean really pretty terrible. Occasionally I will get enough connection to sign into canvas and start hunting down my homework, however more often that not I am not even able to connect to the canvas page, making my computer obsolete and meaning I have to focus on any paper work or notetakings I have to study from during my jaunt sitting on the lawn.
Second, the lawn has no outlets. A rather obvious statement, however it needs to be stated. Honestly, It would be weird if the lawn did have outlets but even so, access to outlets needs to be considered in even the best study spots since today is so technologically oriented. However, as I stated in the previous paragraph, the HUB lawn had some of the worst wifi connection on campus so if even if you come to the lawn with a dead computer, you would not be missing out on an online homework opportunity anyways.
Third, the lawn is not comfortable. Laying on the grass seems nice, however when you realize there is hard soil and rocks hidden in the grass, it becomes slightly less comfortable and even more so when you have to sit up to do your homework and end up hunched over with your back aching due to there being no chairs or places to rest your back on the lawn.
Given these negatives, you may wonder why people would want to study in such an awkward area, in the middle of a club spikeball practice. However, the feeling of sunshine on the face of a student who spends their whole day under artificial lighting is intoxicating, it is the feeling of carefree and true happiness they do not get to experience in the dreary winter, and so we students put aside our discomforts for a moment to feel at peace with the earth, even if we are still working on some kind of work on the side.
To be honest, I like it when the weather is crummy at Penn State, as I am a fan of the cold weather. That means when it snows or when it is below freezing I am generally a happy camper. The HUB lawn is where I would hang out on days that are around fifty degrees with no sun and a slight breeze because I can throw on a sweatshirt and sweatpants without having the feeling that I am being strangled by the heat. The reason for not liking the sun is simple: It makes the temperature warmer and it is annoying to have in my eyes as I am trying to work on something. But I agree with the HUB lawn being the classic study place.