This morning, in the 22-degree temperatures, many students could be seen walking briskly in and out of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Morris University Center.
“I’m not worried about how I look when it’s cold,” said Scott Stewart, a freshman majoring in computer science. Stewart was dressed for the below-freezing weather in a shirt, a hoodie, “a fake leather coat” and a hat fashioned after an “indeterminate species.”
“It could be a squirrel or a chipmunk. I don’t know what it is. I’m dressing to keep warm,” said Stewart, who rides his bicycle to campus.
Freshman Malika Fort-Bolar said she bundles up for the weather, but still wants to look fashionable. 
Today she was donned in jeans with black lace leggings peeping through the tears. “I’m not that cold,” said the business management major. “Yesterday I had a long pea coat.”
Fort-Bolar’s friend, junior Derica Frazier, agrees that she likes looking stylish—even in freezing temperatures.
“Most times I try to look fashionable. But it depends on how early I get up for class,” said Frazier, an exercise science major. “And when going out, I try to bundle up.”
Keeping the cold at bay is crucial for Tory Knight, a freshman majoring in biology.
“When it’s cold, I wear a lot of layers. Most days I wear sweat pants,” said Knight. “Staying warm is my main concern. Being fashionable is a bonus.”
Freshman Allyson Armstrong said she concentrates on layering to keep warm. The nursing major said she expresses her fashion sense through her coats, scarves, gloves and head accessories.
“I’m not a fan of the cold,” said Armstrong, in her red Nautica pant coat.
When asked the question about fashion and the cold, freshman Brendon Jablonski replied: “It never occurs to me to try to be fashionable.
“Even when it’s warm, fashion is not high on my list,” said the English major.
But for Miercoles Bell, fashion is not only a high priority; it is partly a career choice. Bell is a freshman majoring in nursing. He wants to minor in fashion merchandising.
“I try to be fashionable at all times. It’s very important,” he said. “But I’m freezing right now.”
About SIUE
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottom land and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.