By Brooklyn Nelson

Over seven inches of snow touched down over University of Arkansas campus on Jan.23, shutting down campus until the 28th. Students did not take the break for granted, but instead layered up and braved the cold. All around were multi-colored coats, patterned scarves,and stylish hats contrasting against the white blanket of snow. Freshman Kerby Smith prepped her closet with her new winter attire before the harsh weather set in.

“I brought back a long, navy North Face coat from home, and a striped Balaclava hat from Gap,” Smith said. “I also got a few coats from Free People Movement that I really love.”

Styles varied all around campus, but a few common brands that made an appearance were Free People, Old Navy, Anthropologie and Patagonia. According to Sophomore UA student Maggie Jayroe, these brands have great winter staples.

“I am an Anthropologie and Free People fanatic,” Jayroe said. “Free People has really unique, colorful puffer coats and riding boots that I love.”

Ready to put their newly purchased clothes to use in the snow, both Smith and Jayroe packed their closets tightly over winter break, switching out their cool clothes over to warm clothes. However, while Smith aimed to be more functional in the winter weather, Jayroe took the fashionable path. 

“The first day when we went sledding, I was definitely trying to be more functional, I wore a lot of layers,” Smith said.

While Jayroe’s goal was still to remain warm, she felt like her mindset as she got dressed was to look cute too. She wore fleece lined tights under her colorful skirts, thrifted sweaters topped it all off with a long coat from Nuuly. According to her, she leaned more toward fashion instead of function but believes you can make any warm clothing item cute with accessories. 

Davis McClure, another U of A student,  also believes warmth and style can both be attainable while dressing for winter weather. This year, he found a puffy jacket from Cheap Thrills on the Square to pair with his thick layers and beanies. 

“When sledding, I layered at least three in everything,” McClure said. “I might look like a marshmallow but I’m warm.”

Junior UA student Dossett Hall agrees that winter attire can be both trendy and comfortable.

“I wore wool socks, Patagonia snow boarding pants and a Melanzana sweatshirt which was fashionable and functional,” Hall said. 

News channels, campus information resources, and parents made sure students were going to be stocked up and warm during the predicted 20 inches of snow. With Walmart shelves being emptied out of food and sleds, people’s fridges and homes were filled with an assortment of preparation tactics. 

“I went to Walmart probably three times before the snow storm and bought a salami platter, muffins in a cup where you just add water, and prepacked snacks,” Smith said. 

Going in the same direction, McClure went to his parents house to raid their pantries and gather his gear. Hall, however, lives off campus and knew his options were slim without dining halls nearby. 

“I cooked all of my meals during break, so living off campus, away from the dining halls wasn’t an issue,” Hall said. “I bought lots of chicken and rice, and 24 cans of Arnold Palmer.”

Snow began to fall during the weekend, so as Monday rolled around students awaited class to be cancelled due to dangerous road conditions. By 2:30 Sunday, RazAlert sent out a message campus wide cancelling in-person classes. According to Jayroe they communicated well during the beginning, but it slowly got worse as the week went on. 

“At the beginning it was good, earlier is always better,” Jayroe said. “But then Wednesday afternoon they didn’t let us know until way later every day that we were going to have school.”

In Outlook, once the RazAlerts cancelling class were sent out, the University sent multiple emails reminding students of the dangers of icy roads and sidewalks. Along with the safety tips, were multiple links to places like the National Weather Service for frequent updates, Drive Arkansas for road conditions, and American Red Cross – Winter Storm Safety link in case of emergencies. 

 McClure took a step further and found another source through the University to receive updates about the school’s closure. 

“I was in the weather update GroupMe and Amanda Hux did her best to inform us students of closure as soon as she was out of the meetings,” McClure said. “So I heard an hour or so before the rest of the university did.”

While classes were cancelled on campus, some online classes continued with their lectures through Zooms, slideshows or virtual assignments. Students like Hall and Smith both had work that needed to be completed, but said it wasn’t too difficult to do over the break. McClure however said he tried to complete most of the work beforehand so he could enjoy his snow days while they lasted.

“I spent most of my snow days sledding down Dickson, drinking a bunch of tea, and reading a new book I just got,” McClure said.