Too soon has October been prematurely suffocated by tight jeans or congested with hoodies. Sweatpants work like saunas at the first mention of the word “fall,” and long-sleeved shirts initiate insulation as soon as the leaves brown. The advent of autumn is inaccurately viewed as the point of no return for temperatures above 70. And thus the sacrifice of comfort for style is untimely, unfortunate and unnecessary.
Seriously guys, check your weather forecasts before the 3 p.m., 75-degree October heat provides a puddle for your behind and dual Niagara Falls for your armpits. The weather is right there in your pockets, by your bedsides, in your bags! It is literally right there! With “cellphone” and “laziness” being pretty synonymous nowadays, you cannot use “I was just too lazy to check the weather.” No, that means either you do not care if Mother Nature is on her period today, or you would honestly rather look good melting than be comfortable.

Since the beginning of this October, we have already seen temperatures constantly flirting with the 70s, and even shooting up to the mid to low 80s. It is true that these nights no longer carry the humidity and heaviness of summer, but the sun still flexes its might during the day. It may be a foreign concept to some, but the seasons are transitional. The point is that the coming of browning leaves, Halloween and basketball season does not necessarily mean the coming of just-the-right-chill for daily sweatpants.
Last Friday, Oct. 4, at around 2 p.m., I began the trek through the Sahara to the campus train station. That day, temperatures reached 82 degrees, and I dressed as lightly as I could while hauling my backpack and another bag. Scavenging for shade on the train platform, I was both sickly amused and disappointed to notice the amount of jeans, sweatshirts, long sleeves and jackets sticking to the skin of students. What masochistic ritual from the depths of hell do you people perform? Am I missing out on some anti-skin showing movement?

So I propose a simple, nearly foolproof set of rules for preparing accordingly during the transitional period of summer into autumn.  (1) If it is going to reach anywhere over 70 degrees, shorts and a t-shirt are always safe.  (2) Any temperatures floating between 67-69 degrees cut it close for shorts, but a little chilly is always better than a little hot and bothered.  (3) Sweatshirts or hoodies can pass with shorts up to the low to mid 70s.  (4) Mid 60s or below is prime jeans weather.  (5) Sandals with socks–do not leave the dorm. (6) Wind acts as a spoiler/wildcard for these rules. Prepare accordingly.

With this arsenal of information, I urge you to check the weather forecasts daily and find the perfect balance between style and comfort.  It is not as hard as you think.  I cannot bear to see another student equipping the sweatshirt-jeans combo and melting into oblivion while waiting for the train.

Yes, it will get colder soon.  The winds will snake through campus in bursts, the 50-degree weather will slowly creep on and before you know it, the snowflakes will litter the ground like diamonds.  But until then, the remnants, the last grasps and gasps of hot summer weather will sprinkle over October. Simply glancing at the high temperature for the day can save a whole sock’s length of sweaty, smelly, moist feet. I dare deduce that such practice will make everyone smell better overall, if not make them more comfortable.  Smelling nicely is the first key to a successful university.