Amid the occasional sighting of flurries and dreaded downpours, spring has finally arrived at Mercyhurst.

The sun dares to shed its warmth upon us, despite the ever-present lake effect threat of precipitation.

Students have become more adventurous in their outdoor activities, and as a result campus actually resembles a college filled with students rather than the ghost town of seasons past.Taylor Rollins photo: The steeple on top Queen’s Chapel, located off of the Christ The King Chapel in Old Main, is framed by magnolias.

The promise of summer is within our grasp, and we can nearly taste the sunshine-soaked freedom we long for.

The vast migration of students into the various green spaces on campus from the cold-weather hide-aways of dorms and apartments not only signifies the advent of spring, but also the end of the school year.

Both a blessing and a curse, as the frustration of registration and the inevitable end-of-term crunch often prove to be only slightly less than unbearable.

Many succumb to agitation with an increased course load and intensified procrastination as third term dwindles to a close, punctuated by angered outbursts as we watch our hoped-for classes fill up seat by seat.

Thus begins the countdown to the days in which we can forget about our inherent distaste for end of term responsibilities until next year.

What if we took a step back from the complications of college life, and decided to breathe for a second – to just enjoy where we are and who we are at that present moment in time?

As students, we occasionally lose sight of what is around us, what led us to Mercyhurst, and choose instead to immerse ourselves in the future.

So enjoy this spring, admire the beauty that is campus bathed in sunshine and stop wishing away time. College will be over before we realize it.