Break out the umbrellas, the shorts and the snowpants. It’s spring in Iowa, and you just might need all three. I can never seem to recall the official “first day of spring” that graces the calendar every year, but I’m beginning to see the signs of the season on campus. I’ve made note of the most obvious to me.

First, my personal favorite greeted me today when I stepped outside today after the rain. Worms. Not just one or two, but pretty much anywhere I wanted to step — there they were! Worms, worms and more worms all over the sidewalk. As if their mere presence isn’t enough, the wormy-fishy odor lingers in the air for reinforcement. Nothing like the smell of worms to make your day!

When I was little I used to enjoy pulling worms apart, simply based on the fact that it didn’t kill them, it only doubled their population. Somewhere in between preschool and college, I lost my sense of appreciation for that process. Now I wonder why I would ever want to double the worm population. The motivation is just not there anymore.

On the road again… The biker’s strip down people’s backside is the second sure sign of spring. Unless you’re a tough-as-nails cold weather biker, the two-wheeler has been dormant all winter and is ready to hit the streets immediately. Never mind the fact that it’s wet and rainy outside. Bikers throw caution to the wind and ride right into it (uphill). They must once again begin their quest to freak out pedestrians on campus by riding past them very closely at dangerously high speeds.

Third on the list: over-anxious shorts-wearers. You know who you are. It’s not even near hot weather and some of you people are already breaking out the shorts. Get a grip, people! We’re barely through the month of March! It could quite possibly snow again for all we know. Yet, I look around me while shuffling along between classes and I see a lot of bare legs, shivering in the wind.

“Aren’t you cold?” I ask, hoping to discover the logic behind this dressing decision.

“It was warm when I left the house,” the over-anxious shorts victim usually replies, while dancing around a bit in place to keep warm. The problem with this theory is that when leaving the house, one is typically inside, so of course it seems warm! When walking on campus, one is outside, hence the coldness! Don’t be fooled by a 75 degree living room or dorm room. Wear pants! This is Iowa, not the Bahamas.

Number four. You know we’ve made it to spring when we’re finally done talking about spring break. We’ve been back for a week or so now, so if you haven’t asked your friends or acquaintances what they did, it’s too late. Time for a new conversation piece. Something unique, like, “So, uh … what are you doing for the summer?” We have incredibly creative minds at this university, I tell you!

The sound of shuffling papers and envelopes is the fifth indication spring is here, and graduation is near. Seniors are madly applying for jobs, hoping for their big break (or even a little bust) into the real working world. As their lives become a whirlwind of cover letters and resumes, the soon-to-leave begin thinking to themselves, “Perhaps to graduate in another semester wouldn’t be so bad.”

Perhaps you’ve noticed your own signs of spring, be it rollerbladers on the sidewalk or the random skipping of classes to simply be outside. Enjoy the spring weather while it’s here. Break out the bike, smell the worms, but most of all … wear pants!

Joanne Roepke is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Aurora.