The Du Bois Wind Tunnel

While casually meandering through campus in the heart of winter don’t be surprised when the wind engulfs you, stealing the breath from your mouth, throwing your hair into the air and pushing you along the concrete path. Don’t worry a tornado has not hit UMass, you are simply passing W.E.B Du Bois library. This 25 story rectangular structure which towers over campus can cause such wind gusts that it is necessary to prepare just to pass through campus. One night my freshman year in the dead of winter with a temperature in the teens and a wind chill that left me struggling to breathe I attempted to walk by the library. As I came around the corner I felt the wind sucking me in and I took refuge in my hood pulling it over my face while keeping my head low. When I made it to the other side without being sucked in I learned the power of the W.E.B Du Bois wind tunnel. Fortunately I have never had to pass the library in such arctic conditions again but have continued to see umbrellas flipped inside out and heads bowed to avoid the wind while taking this path through campus. The wind continues to blow during this journey but many students have learned to come prepared with a durable hood and hairbrushes for the thousands of people whose hair falls victim.