Out-of-state students miss ‘real’ fall

Autumn in Washington state. Photo courtesy of Celine Francois

Some students from the Northeast and Midwest are annoyed with Southern California. The Southwest’s fall weather feels like July, said Emma Wonsowicz, a freshman undeclared major from Chicago, Illinois, who wished she could bring everyone to the East to experience a “real fall.”

“I think people in Southern California like fall because they get to do the cutesy, Pinterest parts,” Wonsowicz said. “They buy a pumpkin spice latte and carve a pumpkin, but they don’t have to deal with the not-so-great parts, like constantly raking leaves or buying a whole new wardrobe because it’s 40 degrees and cloudy every day.”

Eastern students don’t miss the cold, but they do miss other parts of fall, like flannel shirts, thick sweaters, hot cider and pumpkin-flavored everything, said Emily Malner, a freshman creative writing major from New Canaan, Connecticut, where it’s around 50 degrees right now. Malner said she struggled to find the words to describe the feelings that come with fall. It’s hard to help others understand if they haven’t grown up experiencing it, Malner said.

“Fall is just different in New England,” Malner said. “Your entire environment changes. Here, the change isn’t as drastic. Everything looks the same. It’s just sort of colder.”

Traditional fall activities, like apple picking and visiting pumpkin patches, seem unnatural in Southern California, said Sierra DeWalt, a freshman screenwriting and English literature double major, from Ayer, Massachusetts. Wearing cozy sweaters and other warm layers while visiting a corn maze is a typical fall day in the Northeast, but wouldn’t be the same on the West Coast, DeWalt said.

“There are palm trees at the pumpkin patches,” DeWalt said. “I feel like I’m on vacation.”

But while the foliage looks nice in pictures, foregoing fall in favor of warm weather is worth it, said Austina Wang, a freshman digital arts major from the Bay Area in Northern California. She said she likes how Los Angeles residents put their own touch on autumn, like Pumpkin Nights in Pomona.

Photo by Bonnie Cash

“I’ve seen a lot of events like that in L.A.,” Wang said. “We don’t get a typical fall, but I like warm weather, so I think it’s nice.”

There’s a reason California autumns are less colorful. Jennifer Funk, associate professor and program director of biological sciences, said there are two reasons: climate and vegetation. California has a Mediterranean climate, which results in hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters, Funk said.

“The East Coast gets water year round,” Dr. Funk said. “Plants can choose when they want to grow, and they chose summer.”

In California, plants aren’t so lucky. Because of the hot summers, many plants grow most in the winter, when they have more access to water, Funk said. Southern California has what is called drought-deciduous plants, the opposite of winter-deciduous plants on the East Coast. The trees on the East Coast drop their leaves in October in preparation for winter, and some trees in Southern California drop their leaves in May, in preparation for summer, Funk said.

“It’s the opposite of the East Coast,” Dr. Funk said. “Plants are starting to hibernate, but over here, everything is just starting to get green.”

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons according to the National Institute of Mental Health, is more frequent in people who live far north or south of the equator: for example, 1 percent of people who live in Florida suffer from SAD, compared to the 9 percent of people who live in New England or Alaska. Younger adults also have a higher risk of SAD, although it has also been reported in children and teenagers, according the institute.

When it’s gloomy out every day, people feel tired and don’t want to leave the house, Wonsowicz said. It’s difficult to leave the house often, especially in the winter, when you have to shovel the driveway, scrape ice off your car and bundle up, Wonsowicz said.

“I don’t know if the sun makes you happier, per se,” Wonsowicz said. “The sun does make it much easier to go out and do things year round. On the East Coast, it’s just an inconvenience to do anything in the winter.”

Seasonal affective disorder still exists here, said Michael Jahangani, a junior political science major from Los Angeles, California. A lot of students come from the East Coast because they love warm weather, but they ultimately miss the seasons back home, he said.

“(Southern California) is known for not receiving any snow or even rainfall,” Janhangani said. “When you go from constant rain or snowfall to sunny 72 degrees everyday, it could get a little boring.”