Noontime + sun + heat = Quad alive with activity

One look at the Quad and it was evident that summer was finally on its way. Wednesday was the warmest day of the year, with temperatures that topped out in the mid-80s.

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As the noon bells chimed, the Quad -- the heart of the Kingston Campus -- was beating with life and activity. It was a thick sea of minimally clothed bodies, making the grass visible only in patches.

Large groups of people sat interspersed with lone sunbathers, all scantily clad, in obvious anticipation of the warm weather and the hope of catching the first rays of summer.

While most people napped and relaxed, others read the paper, talked on cell phones and worked on school projects. Laughter and conversation floated on the light breeze and mixed with the sounds of birds chirping and the beeping of a remote construction truck.

Students who had missed the rush right before noon and were obviously late for class, navigated their way through the crowd and across the Quad, coming and going in every direction.

There were about 10 minutes of calm and quiet immediately following the bells, as more people laid out blankets and settled down to hang out with friends and enjoy the change in weather. A few minutes later, however, the Quad was once again buzzing with activity.

A group of six guys threw a Frisbee back and forth on the lower corner, while four others tossed a football. In the center of the Quad, two guys showed off their hacky-sack skills on the sidewalk, and a skateboarder coasted down the road past Ranger Hall.

On a campus cluttered with parking lots and large buildings, the Quad is usually the first place students run to when the weather gets warm. Today's activities made it clear that everyone had emerged from their winter hibernations.