Magis Moment: February 2024
A Message from the Vice President of University Advancement聽
In New Orleans more than most other places, it's the season of seasons. We've just come out of one set of Christmas and other holiday seasons, but here we are straight into the thick of Carnival season.
I find this a bit amusing because I鈥檝e heard from some people who have moved to New Orleans that there are only two seasons here: heaven鈥nd hell. However, living in this region for an extended period of time reveals that there are actually distinct seasons of all kinds.
If you haven't been back to the Crescent City in a while, do you remember going to Uptown parades and the smells in the air at this time of year? It seems there's a kind of humid and faint earthy smell that I attribute to the beautiful live oak trees that are never more than a block away. On top of that natural baseline, you get the smoky goodness of parade-route grilling, a waft of fried chicken, the sharp fumes from flambeaux, and maybe a smell or two you wish you could have avoided.
All that is just Carnival season. After this, it's on to what I've heard called "Festival Season," when organizations large and small take advantage of the often beautiful weather here in March, April, and May. When you go to those festivals, it's a good bet that if music is involved, there are Loyola alumni, faculty, and students involved somewhere in the magic.
So yes, winter imposes some surprisingly cold days here, and summer is a marathon slog of heat and humidity. But in studying at Loyola, our students really do experience a great variety of seasons of all kinds. I'm struck by the diversity of climates our students and faculty come from--the humid Caribbean, the Midwest with its four distinct seasons, the deserts of the Southwest, and even the cold of Scandinavia. They all come here because Loyola New Orleans draws them together with a caring atmosphere and an inspiring mission. The smell of jambalaya on the parade route helps, too, of course. Happy Carnival season!
础惭顿骋,听
Chris Wiseman '88