We, the Dakota Student editorial board, were thrilled to see so many students perusing the annual Involvement Expo that took place Wednesday. Not only was it great to see such a large turn out, but it was great to see the enthusiasm they showed, their eager faces beaming as they browsed the huge variety of student organizations and groups at the event, the Dakota Student included, and filled their bags with free candy and promotional items.

Students, new and old, are eager to get involved on UND’s campus and are looking for ways to do that while making friends and connections that will make their college experience valuable. By going to the Expo, they can take in the various options offered to them at UND all in one place.

It is impossible to deny the wonderful opportunity presented to students at the Involvement Expo. It is a place where students can get not only information for the majority of organizations on campus, but also a place where they can gain a new lease on life, a shining example of the potential of their time on campus.

But, while the students taking advantage of the Expo may have enjoyed themselves, it was not an enjoyable experience for those staffing the dozens of booths that covered the hot, paved asphalt in front of the Memorial Union. Individuals, many wearing heavy organizational polos or business attire, sweltered in a heat that can only be described as the result of a menopausal North Dakota suffering from yet another unbearable hot flash.

With a high temperature of 94 degrees and a heat index of over 100, sitting in direct sunlight felt like being forced to run a marathon in a sauna. Needless to say, the heat paired with the humidity made it fairly difficult for anyone to get excited about anything except, perhaps, the potential of cold air and a colder beverage in the near future.

Sure, there have been times in the past when the weather has been pleasant, a breeze has kept the foreheads of those working the booths cool and the heat index hasn’t been able to melt chocolate bars in mere seconds. During those times, it was fine to hold the Expo in the open air. But at other times, cold weather, rainy weather and, most recently, hot weather have made holding the Expo outdoors seem slightly inhumane. Pouring rain isn’t the only time the Expo should be moved into the comfort of a building.

We, the Dakota Student editorial board, were thrilled to see so many students at this year’s Involvement Expo; but we were even more thrilled to walk into the cool air of the Union and collapse in the air conditioning at the end of the day.