On Monday, April 23, the UNI community celebrated Tropical Celebration (TC) Day following a presidential proclamation issued by President Mark Nook. Students, faculty and staff alike donned tropical shirts, leis, shorts and flip flops.

The president — accompanied by his wife and TC Panther — handed out Italian ice popsicles in a variety of fruit flavors in his office starting at 12:30 p.m. There were still plenty of popsicles well into the afternoon.

Maucker Union Food Court employees celebrated not only by wearing island-themed attire, but also by discounting summer snacks and beverages, including iced coffee, frappes, ice cream treats, fountain drinks and candy.

“As a Chats employee, I would say the response to the specials that we had were very appreciated by everyone,” said Brooke Pigman, a junior majoring in elementary education. “It really boosted business. We stayed super busy. Everyone was just so cheerful and super happy to finally have sunshine here on campus.”

Students took full advantage of the warmer weather, basking in the sun all across campus and even having picnics. The famous purple and gold adirondack chairs and hammocks finally made their appearance. As Nook stated in his email, no spring semester at UNI should end without them.

“Tropical celebration was great,” said Sarah Solt, a freshman majoring in elementary education. “Not only was the weather amazing, just like President Mark Nook predicted, but the vibes on campus were very tropical. People were hammocking. Slushies were being eaten. It was great.”

With highs in 60s and 70s in the upcoming forecast after 174 days of snow, ice and negative windchill, the warm weather seems like it’s finally here to stay.