The temperature on the thermometer dipped to 32 degrees Thursday, but junior Avery Barr was not perturbed as he wore brown cargo shorts near the chilly Pit.
“I normally wear shorts every day,” he said.
The Boone native said his friends from home don’t normally wear shorts in winter, but Barr does take measures to stay warm in blustery weather.
“I’ll at least keep a sweatshirt to keep my upper body warm,” he said.
While students like Barr don’t mind baring their calves and ankles to the elements, some Carolina students cannot understand why their classmates choose not to wear pants.
“When I see people wearing shorts I think, ‘aren’t they cold?’” said sophomore communications major Olivia Terrell, who was wearing a knit infinity scarf and boots to protect herself from the elements.
Terell said she would never wear shorts in this kind of weather.
“It’s too cold. I’m wearing three layers now,” she said.
Sarah Coyne, a junior anthropology major, tried to find practical reasons why UNC students would wear shorts in cold weather.
“It might be an economics issue,” she said. “Maybe they can’t afford pants.”
For junior biology major Levi Rolles, desperate times called for desperate measures.
“I ran out of long pants, so I wore shorts,” he said.
When asked if he was cold, Rolles gave a casual “nah” and proceeded with his day.
Matthew Parr, a senior biology and economics major, said he felt comfortable wearing basketball shorts and a UNC hoodie in this weather. He said he flew back from an interview and this outfit was all that fit in his backpack.
“I’m from New Jersey, so it’s not too bad,” he said. “Plus, with the amount of time I’m outside it doesn’t make a huge difference.”
Some pants-wearing students stood in solidarity with their classmates’ chilly fashion decisions.
“I grew up in Michigan and shorts in winter are not uncommon,” senior Russell VanZomeren said. “I think if you’re bold enough, shorts are the fashion statement of the season. The shorter the better.”
Pants-wearing senior Camden Freeman of Raleigh agreed.
“I admire your dedication to fighting the cause of the constriction of pants,” he said.
In short, it appears despite near freezing weather, some Carolina students will still chose to wear shorts.
“I always say, ‘I’m testing Mother Nature’,” Barr said. “I’m tempting her to make it really cold.”
university@dailytarheel.com
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
