By Katie Scaramuzzo, Videographer and Emily Sudderth, Videographer
MOUNT BERRY, Ga.- In the third week of January, temperatures in Rome, Georgia plummeted, shocking the Berry College Community.
The cold front arrived unexpectedly in Rome, Georgia, clashing with the region’s more temperate climate. As temperatures reached as low as nine degrees and as high as 30, Berry students were in for a chill. Throughout the week there were several winter storm warnings, freeze warnings, and many professors even canceled classes.
With the temperatures being colder than usual, Berry students have had to find ways to stay warm. Andrew Gaines, a freshman from Mableton, Georgia, told us how he managed to fight the chill during the colder week.
“Trying to start my car up early, going to the dorm, lots of blankets, and hoodies,” Gaines said.
Not only were students home lives affected by the recent temperature drop, but even tasks like commuting to work or doing their jobs became difficult. Laurel Hoffman, a freshman hailing from Durham, North Carolina, told us how she worked around the cold weather in her early morning shifts at the Berry Dairy Farm.
“I work at the dairy, so those 4 a.m. shifts are pretty cold, especially when I’m working with water,” Hoffman said. “You kind of just endure it. I wore gloves and four layers of clothing.”
Some Berry students do not have cars on campus. Cai Sabino, a freshman from Rome, Georgia, shared how he stays warm while having to bike to Berry’s main campus from Mountain Campus in the cold weather.
“I just wear a lot of clothes and bundle up. [I wear] gloves, and I wear a facemask like a ski mask,” said Sabino.
The sudden chill reminded many students why they are not very fond of the cold. Daphne Tremps, a sophomore from Alpharetta, Georgia, told us what she is looking forward to when the weather gets warmer.
“My friends and I just eat outside at all times- every meal is outside. We have lots of picnics,” Tremps said. “I love to hike and camp. I am a very big backpacker so I am very much looking forward to that.”
The winter weather in Georgia can shift very quickly, modulating between highs of 60s to lows of 14 degrees. Although the campus is now enjoying a more moderate week of temperatures, there’s no telling what may happen over the next couple of weeks.