"The Tundra"

Ohio Northern's main walking area, and center of campus "The Tundra" as it is commonly referred to in reference to the home of the beloved mascot the Polar Bears is truly living up to its name as winter leaves its mark on ONU.

Ohio Northern University is a small school of about 3,500 students in the even smaller town of Ada, Ohio. Now when a young football player is visiting in February from Michigan and the coaches touring him around refer to the barren surface made of mostly frozen dirt, he may not think much of it, but if that same young athlete lived in Florida until the age of 13 perspective might change a little. That was me.

I don't think I will ever get used to the "charm of the Midwest" as my cousin seems to refer to it often. Maybe it's because I will never get past the temperature, maybe it's because I will never get past the snow, or maybe it's just because it will never be home for me. I grew up in Tampa loving the sunshine 360 days out of the 365 days in the year, the weekend trips to Disney, and the ocean being less than a stone throw away most of the time. The Tundra however has a bit of a different feel to it as my new home than my previous ones. Ohio has some distinct qualities about it that have decided to be on full display as students return to ONU. One, tree cover is minimal thus allowing the oh so famous "Ada Winds" to carry windchills down degrees at a time with gust ever so prevalent on the Tundra. The next would be ice, Winter Storm Gia of course brought snow and a frigid reminder that winter was still upon us, but it is what it has left behind that students are still seeing across campus. As students look to be ice skating from class to class yet wearing boots instead of skates as layers of ice lace the ground, the roads, and walk paths every way you turn. Now of course the Ohio Northern staff is working feverishly to clear walks and put salt down across any patch of ice they find, but if you look across the tundra it is quite easy to see, or sometimes hear the victims of the Winter Tundra of Ohio Northern. 

Still Winter Storm Harper barres down on the little old town of Ada. Expected to drop more snow and ice on a campus already nicely covered. It looks as if the Tundra will be living up to its name for the next couple weeks as students, faculty, and staff make their way across campus.