“Work hard, play hard” has long been a mantra of the Duke student body. But this weekend, during Durham’s first measurable snow in over 1,000 days, it was all play.
Though Friday’s blanket didn’t quite amount to the anticipated three inches, it was the first time many Blue Devils saw their Gothic campus dressed in white.
“It’s somehow prettier in the snow,” said sophomore Oscar Twining.
East Campus, Friday 6 p.m.
Dozens of students filed out of Brodie Recreation Center, which had been shuttered early in anticipation of the winter weather. Students skipped on the sidewalks adorned in thin white dust, their subtle imprints soon hidden by the falling snow.
Any moods dampened by a truncated workout were lifted by the crystals swirling through the air.
Duke Chapel, 6:30 p.m.
Duke’s hallmark stretches of luscious grass now gleamed white.
It was not pristine, though.
Hundreds of footprints had already been left behind by passer-by Blue Devils. Muddy paths lead up to fat spheres of snow, where undergraduates have begun to build a student body of snowmen.
Those who weren’t sprawled out making snow angels or chucking snowballs posed before Duke’s iconic stone architecture.
“I really like the way that it looks on the rooftops,” said sophomore Alexis Ashley of the snow.
Abele Quad, 8:30 p.m.
Dozens of students were scattered across Abele Quad, most wearing thick winter coats. As a snowball fight broke out in front of Kilgo Quad, many students were pelted — some happier about it than others.
Sophomore Sahil Patel watched from nearby, so far spared from the icy projectiles. He’s from Wilmington and said he hasn’t seen snow in North Carolina since he was young. Patel remained a bystander, but admitted that there would likely be some snowball-chucking in his future.
Across the frozen quad, two friends were crouched down packing snow. It was seniors Hanna Lavi and Liel Ezroni, who, keeping busy with their gloves in the snow, described campus as “a winter wonderland.”
Minutes later, their creation was complete: a “snowwoman,” they called it.
Duke Gardens, 8:30 p.m.
By 8:30 p.m., Ashley, who hails from Florida, had been walking around outside for hours.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen snow,” she said. “… It’s really gorgeous. I was not expecting it to actually stick today at all, so I’m really happy that it did.”
She was snapping photos and building snowmen, she said, when her friends “ambushed” her with snowballs. In her fifth hour in the snow, Ashley and her friends said they planned to go sledding.
Meanwhile, Twining took in the sights of campus around him and the community brought together by the snowfall.
“I love how everyone is outside and together,” he said. “… I’m really enjoying it.”
Twining also spent his evening sledding. His toboggan of choice? Large cardboard boxes found behind Perkins Library.
Kilgo Quad, Saturday 10:30 a.m.
The snow began to melt quickly. It was as sunny as could be, but it looked like it was raining. Kilgo’s magnolia trees — its blossoms the likeness of the Kilgo Quad arch — dripped icy residue. Together, the falling icicles sounded like a chime.
Duke Gardens, 11 a.m.
The sledding festivities continued. Countless grassy tracks cut through the ice-caked hill in the gardens. Most were straight, but some veered to the side — likely wipe-outs.
Junior Shivam Jain and his friends seemed to have mastered the slopes, wielding a plastic sled, complete with handles and a paint finish.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to have this snow day here in Durham,” he said. “We built a lot of snowmen and we [had] a lot of snowball fights, [which] was a lot of fun.
They planned to head to Cameron Indoor Stadium to catch the men’s basketball game against the University of Notre Dame. There, much of the remaining snow would melt while red-hot Cooper Flagg set the ACC freshman scoring record.
Ana Despa contributed reporting.
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Michael Austin is a Trinity junior and managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.