It is the end of Fall Quarter, Christmas is just around the corner and everyone is looking forward to being finished with finals and headed home for some much needed time to relax with family. But Winter Break comes and goes, and students return to Northwestern with the dreaded thought in the back of their minds that Winter Quarter is about to begin.

Why do so many of us despise Winter Quarter so much? Part of the reason is, obviously, the weather. No students in their right minds would enjoy waking up while it’s still dark outside and treading through a foot of snow to get to class. However, one of the biggest reasons in my mind is that there are absolutely no fun events offered by NU, or by other organizations, that we have to look forward to.

Fall Quarter is bearable because we have A&O Blowout and the weather is still tolerable enough for us to go into Chicago and enjoy the city without a second thought. We also have Winter Break — almost a month of no classes — to look forward to. Spring Quarter, we are rewarded for a hard year’s work with the amazing event that is Dillo Day. But there is nothing Winter Quarter.

Sure, there is some programming Winter Quarter, such as A&O Production’s winter speaker, but it pales in comparison to the events offered during Fall and Spring quarters. There is also Dance Marathon. However, it requires students to raise funds for the $400 entry fee, and it is also scheduled for the end of Winter Quarter. It would be much more beneficial to students if it was offered in the middle of Winter Quarter, when students need it the most.

It is especially important for students to have some sort of fun event to attend during Winter Quarter when morale is arguably at its lowest point of the year. Little things like concerts or parties play an understatedly large role in our mental well-being, and this is an extremely important aspect of student health, especially at a school as stressful as NU.

My suggestion is that NU work a bit harder to organize some sort of event for the students during the thick of Winter Quarter: Bring in a popular band, have some sort of social, anything that will get the student body together in a fun gathering. The University could also allocate this responsibility to a student group, like Mayfest or A&O, so they could take care of logistics while still providing the same end result. The energy on campus during the Fall and Spring quarters is so different from the vibe during Winter Quarter, and having some sort of event would definitely be a good way to change that.

I’m not exactly sure what level of difficulty is involved in planning a large-scale event as I have suggested. It might take a few years to actually get a plan going and start something up, but in the end, it is very important that we think of something to add during Winter Quarter that will take the focus away from all the negatives, like the weather and classes, for a moment. I’m sure it would be a much appreciated effort. It might also be very beneficial to have some sort of open forum or suggestion survey where students can voice their ideas as to what kinds of things they would enjoy. At this point, any sort of movement toward a Winter Quarter event would be a step in the right direction.

Trevor Stoimenoff is a Weinberg junior. He can be reached at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected].