“I absolutely love winter. There may be a lot of snow in Erie, but it’s much more fun to embrace the weather rather than sulk about it,” said Christine M. Cedzo ’92, assistant professor of mathematics. She also advises one of Gannon’s newest student organizations, Ski Club. Students have plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the white stuff. As of 2007, Erie was listed as the 13th snowiest place in the U.S., averaging 88 inches each season. By the end of winter in 2009, the city had received 145.8 inches of snow, falling short of the alltime precipitation record set in 2001 by 3.3 inches. In addition to organizations like Ski Club, the Activities Programming Board (APB), a student-led group that hosts events for all Gannon students, sponsored an excursion to Peek’n Peak Resort and Spa in Clymer, N.Y., for a day of skiing, snowboarding and tubing. The group also organized a snowman-building contest on Friendship Green. “We wanted to do something that would capitalize on the winter weather and also help students get outside, get together and get involved. We hope it becomes an annual event,” said APB member Ashley Frego, a junior biology major. Such events offer students more than an opportunity to bundle up and face the elements, Cedzo said; they impart valuable life lessons. “I agreed to advise Ski Club because I thought it would be a great opportunity for Gannon students. It has taken a lot of work to organize their first trip, and the officers are learning so much about organizational skills and patience as they work through the necessary processes to make it happen,” Cedzo explained. Likewise, faculty don’t shy away from including adverse weather conditions in their class curriculums. Students have learned about lighting and composition by taking snowy-day photographs, while those in science courses examine the environment in cold weather conditions. “I have a wildlife management lab that spends a day in the field to learn how to take proper and complete scientific field notes, rain or shine,” said Steven J. Ropski, Ph.D. ’78, professor of biology and director of the science program. “Weather doesn’t stop us!”
From Sunshine to Snow Belt Virgin Islands Students Choose Gannon Gannon University welcomed 10 new students from the U.S. Virgin Islands in the fall, a record number of enrollees from that locale. Frigid temperatures didn’t discourage these students; in fact, several of them were drawn to Gannon because of the region’s winter weather. Ludence Romney Jr., a freshman software engineering major from the St. Thomas area, said he is adapting well to the climate change and checks the weather forecast every morning to help him wear appropriate attire. Also from the St. Thomas Kevin Greaux area, communication arts major Kevin Greaux has enjoyed experiencing his first round of winter precipitation. “I chose Gannon because it was far from home and would offer me new experiences, like living in a snowy area for the first time,” he explained. “Weather has definitely been one of the biggest adjustments for me, but so far I love it. I built my first snowman, had a snowball fight on Friendship Green and even walked on Lake Erie when it froze. I’m patiently waiting for more snow!”
Weather didn’t stop senior Shaundra Curtis, a sport and exercise science and pre-physical therapy major, from leaving her native Bahamas for college life in the states. “The weather has been a big change for me because in my hometown, we only experience two seasons: spring and summer. But I love that in Erie I get to watch the leaves change colors and can engage in snow sports. I am enrolled in the Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding class this semester and really enjoy the experience,” she said. Like Curtis points out, a new season is always just around the corner. As 19th-century poet John Ruskin wrote, “Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”
Students start a snowball fight on Friendship Green in 1997. Courtesy of Gannon Archives
No matter the season, Gannon offers a wide range of academic and extracurricular experiences for every student. Call 1-800-GANNON-U (1-800-426-6668) to start your journey today.
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