Yesterday it rained.That may seem like a pretty obvious statement, but for those of you who have been around Baton Rouge this summer, you know that this is a pretty big deal.I was initially excited about the chance to wear my new rain jacket when I woke up for school. But as I started getting dressed, the hassles of walking from the parking lot to Lockett overwhelmed me, and I went back in bed and laid there for a couple more hours.Now, my parents are probably going to read this and be mad — “It’s just water, Ellen. It won’t kill you,” — but I’ve held fast to my “don’t go to class in the rain” rule for the three years that I have attended the University.The weather in Baton Rouge is predictable enough to where this doesn’t hamper my schooling too much. Of course the one day it snowed, I had a final at 8:30 a.m. Go figure.I know many other people who have the same feelings on this matter — staying dry is much more important than listening to professors.But most of my friends who do trudge through the puddles come back whining and complaining about walking through the rain and getting their shoes wet, and it’s just not worth it to me. Of course, there are teachers who give extra credit or quizzes on rainy days to spite people like me. And the people who go to class fully deserve the extra points. But for some reason, to me, bad weather is a valid excuse not to go to class. If I skip a class on a normal day, I feel guilty about it for at least a few hours, but this morning brought no sign of remorse. The University gave us a week off during Gustav — although this is somewhat of an extreme example — but that just furthered my beliefs that class is not necessary during storms. I’m sure they didn’t mean to, but there it is.  
Ellen Zielinski is a 21-year-old communication studies major from Baton Rouge.—Contact Ellen Zielinski at [email protected]