No alarm clocks were needed yesterday morning when Mother Nature provided a wake-up call of rain and thunder for the first day of classes.

Rebecca Wills, a junior in community health education, was well prepared for the falling rain. Manned with an umbrella and jacket, Wills was well sheltered from the dreary conditions. However, her feet were still subject to the standing puddles that were left on the sidewalk.

“I tried to hop over the puddles, but I still got my shoes wet,” Wills said. “They’re still drying out.”

Wills said the gloomy conditions did not boost her spirits about the first day of classes.

“It was very depressing to wake up and go out into the rain,” Wills said. “I hope it’s not a sign of what the semester is going to be like.”

While many students like Wells were prepared for the rain, others were not.

Dan Vondrak, the food store manager at Hy-Vee, said there was a definite increase in umbrella sales yesterday. He said many students stopped in to buy new umbrellas because they were not prepared for the rain.

“There were a lot of kids in here looking for them,” Vondrak said. “I think the rain caught everyone a little off guard.”

The University Bookstore also had a busy Monday. Students were not only buying books, but there were also many shopping for umbrellas during the morning hours.

Mike Shupp, the acting manager of UBS, said they put many umbrellas out where students could see them.

“We had a lot of students coming in looking specifically for umbrellas,” Shupp said.

For those who did not purchase an umbrella, newspapers served a second purpose —shelter from the rain. Many students were seen dashing from class to class with papers protecting their hair from the rain.

The rain may have slowed some students down, but those riding on Cy-Ride were right on schedule.

Brent Klooster, a dispatcher for Cy-Ride, said everything went smoothly for the buses on the first day of classes. “It was a very good first day of classes for us,” he said.

Erin Mahlow, a sophomore in animal science, was just one of many students who did a lot of puddle jumping and avoiding mud on campus.

“I had an umbrella so I was prepared, but I didn’t have a coat, which made it pretty cold,” Mahlow said.

Mahlow’s spirits were a little dampened by the wet conditions on her first day of classes. “It was bad enough going to class, but then to make matters worse, it had to rain,” she said.