Spring ushers out mild winter in fair-weather traditions

On the first day of spring, several inches of snow fell in Ann Arbor. Frost replaced frisbees in one last rush of the winter the city never really had. A few days later, the sun came out and the rites of spring kicked in.

Well, they didn't kick in for everyone. Cheolbeom Park, a second-year doctoral student in economics, spent the warm afternoon in the Graduate Library as one of the few students putting the study carrels to use.

"Maybe it's more difficult to study," he said, as he glanced out the window at the shadows cast by the brick building. But exams in April and May beckoned him back to his books. "That's why I'm here," he said, bending over his notes.

And David Uren, who has worked at the Graduate Library for 27 years, said the building, which usually empties out as the temperatures rise, still has more visitors than in past years.

"This last semester we were so empty, I'm not sure I've noticed a difference yet," he said.

JOHN KRAFT/Daily Rackham student Steve Geddes takes advantage of unseasonably warm weather.

This winter was indeed different. While El Niño ransacked the West Coast, it brought mild temperatures to the Midwest.

"It has been, meteorologically speaking, strange," said Sandra Pytlinski, a research secretary in the department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, who said local temperatures were approximately 10 degrees higher than usual all winter.

And a strange winter is turning into a strange spring. Pytlinski said recent temperatures have consistently neared record highs, interfering with a Michigan rite of spring: fickle weather.

Temperatures and conditions usually change constantly, leaving Ann Arborites stuck in a meteorological push and pull. But "our push has been a little stronger this year," said Pytlinski, who said future temperatures are anyone's guess. "I'm enjoying the weather, but it does seem to be stuck."

But the weather is conducive for a classic rite, and it didn't take long for the Diag to fill with students playing hacky sack and hooky. RC first-year student Jillian Gross was among them this past Friday.

"I think it's fantastic," she said as she read a coursepack beneath a tree and contemplated skipping her remaining three classes. "I think we've been cooped up all winter and it's wonderful to be out here in the sun."

And the unusual weather has only reinforced spring's usual impact on attitudes.

"There does seem to be a connection between sunlight and mood," said clinical psychologist Deborah Kraus. "It has all these positive connotations: flowers, warmth, outdoor activities, Easter."

She noted that a small percentage of the population suffers from seasonal affective disorder, in which a lack of sunlight can cause severe depression. But beginning in the spring, few people - including herself - are immune to the ray's effects.

"I seem happier," Kraus said.

Spring brings more than smiles to the surface. "A new beginning," is how groundskeeper Jeffrey Walters described the season at Nichols Arboretum.

"Spring flowers start to emerge, and a few of them are blooming," Walters said. "We tend to get busy this time of year."

The same is true elsewhere on campus, inside buildings as well as out on the streets. Career Planning and Placement is a popular office this time of year, especially for graduating seniors and students seeking internships. The office "is hopping," said CP&P's senior associate director, Kerin Borland.

And Lynne Weber, a recorder in the registrar's office, said the office gets crazy as May commencement approaches.

"It's a busy time," said Weber, who said she receives many calls from worried parents and students. Future graduates "seem to go through a panic stage when it comes down to the wire," she said.

JOY JACOBS/Daily Michelle Held studies with LSA seniors Sarah Johnson and Anjali Goswami.

But she said the panic eases off after

commencement, even if students don't leave town. "A lot of them seem to come back for another term," she said. "They can't just quit cold turkey."

Commencement is not students' only spring rite. To the Jewish community, spring means Passover, said Rabbi Rich Kirschen, assistant director of Hillel. The eight-day holiday that begins next Friday evening celebrates the Israelites' biblical emancipation in Egypt.

Another holiday begins less than two days later.

"Easter is our Passover," said Fr. Tom Firestone of St. Mary's Student Parish. He said Christians believe Jesus was resurrected during Passover, so the holidays fall at the same time each year. The connection between spring and Easter is strong, he said, as both deal with "new life."

As for this weekend, several thousand marijuana advocates will arrive in town for the annual Hash Bash, which has been an Ann Arbor rite since the early 1970s. Ann Arbor became the event's location when it was one of the first cities in the country to all but decriminalize marijuana possession. The $5 fine issued for marijuana use and possession has since been repealed, but the event remains well-attended.

Spring weather keeps the Department of Public Safety busy with outdoor parties and another classic rite: the Naked Mile.

"It's gotten to be a really big event," said DPS spokesperson Elizabeth Hall. But she cautioned that the run that began as "kind of a prank" has gotten out of control. Last year's run attracted more than 10,000 people, Hall said, and runners may not realize how many videos and photographs may capture them.

JOY JACOBS/Daily Angell Elementary School students chalk the sidewalk.

But with the snow and sleet gone, the outdoors become a haven for athletes of all kinds. And as walks in the Arb become more popular, one is reminded that spring is the time for the birds, bees and infatuated lovers ... although Craig Haraga, a bartender at Scorekeepers, said expectations of lovey behavior may be overrated.

"I don't know if I'd say it's based on weather," he said of the flirting that attracts students to the bar. The time of week one comes may be more important than the time of year. "Come on a Thursday."

Some students have creative ways of celebrating the season's coming. Last year, three University students noted the solstice by reading poetry and jumping into the frigid Huron River.

Swimming was a symbolic washing away of the past, said one of the three, LSA sophomore Adam Weinrich. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," he said, but said he doesn't plan a repeat performance. This year, his spring activity will be at the Zen Buddhist Temple, where the public is invited to celebrate Buddha's birthday on May 9 and 10.

To celebrate this year's solstice, one art history class made a pilgrimage to a sundial designed by Prof. Michael Kapetan. The sundial is activated at noon at the start of each season.

"There was no sun. It was snowing pretty heavily," said Lissa Anderson, an Art senior. But the moment was well observed, she said.

Still others join in the ultimate rite of spring: enjoying it.

"Have a good day," Gross said as she leaned her head against the tree and smiled in the sun. "How could you not?"

04-02-98