There are countless examples throughout history of the unifying power of mutual hardship. While suffering certainly has the power to feed polarization, moments of struggle can also build communities dedicated to supporting each other through unique challenges. This phenomenon of newfound connection galvanized by a shared struggle has begun to manifest at Carleton as students process a strange new normal: it gets dark really early these days. Despite the fact that this phenomenon has allegedly occurred in years past, the upset in the last few weeks has been record-breaking.
On Nov. 3, a few Carleton students came to the revelatory realization that the sun is setting, like, really early; the observation quickly spread through the student body. Since then, almost every conversation on campus has included some discussion of the bizarre solar schedule, especially in the early evening at 5 PM when the phenomenon is particularly evident.
Students, unsettled by this destabilizing threat to their regular routines, are understandably shocked and angered, but the Carleton community should be proud that in this moment of uncertainty, students can rely on each other for support. Thought-provoking and deeply vulnerable expressions of anger and fear like “It’s literally only 5:30, it should not be this dark out” are met with compassion and empathy like “yeah, it’s pretty crazy” or even a brave “it legit feels kinda wrong.”
Many students share the sentiments of Elaina Boyle ’25 who said “It’s a bad idea in my opinion. I don’t think they should do it. They should change it.”
While Boyle said they “fully place the blame on the Biden administration” for the early onset darkness, students don’t seem to agree on who exactly is responsible. Sophia Hilmer ’28 thinks the state of Florida is at fault while Saniya Edwards ’28 blames the issue on the policies of the current Carleton President.
Whoever is at fault, concerned students need support. SHAC has seen a historic rise in complaints of premature sleepiness and increased procrastination. This certainly comes at a bad time in the trimester for the scores of students returning to their dorms at 9:00 PM, claiming that they are “eepy” despite their looming finals.
“We’ve been working really hard to open up a new Early Darkness Support Group for students who need a space to heal right now,” a SHAC representative said. “What we’re seeing is that people want to be having these conversations. How often have you been compelled to randomly share thoughts about how early it starts getting dark? That’s your mind telling you that you need to work through this new reality. We hope the group helps students process what this change means for them. However, given our procedure for new support groups, it likely wouldn’t take effect until February.”
Certainly, anyone who has sat in the fourth floor of Gould Library after 4:30 PM has seen the emotional impact of this increasing period of darkness. As the light from outside dims, students point and gawk at the darker-than-expected world outside the tall library windows. Eyes move back and forth from the outside to the time written on their lock screens.
“This is a scary time, and sometimes the only power you have is your voice,” Saniya said. “Every conversation or class period without a mention of how crazy it is that it’s so dark out right now is a lost opportunity to use that power.”