An introvert’s guide to surviving Bermuda Shorts Day

By Aneeka Sandhu, April 6 2018 —

It’s that time of year again. For one fateful day in April, the University of Calgary campus fills with day-drinking students, littered beer cans, music blasting from every corner and everyone chanting, “BSD! BSD! BSD!” Your worst nightmare, right?

Bermuda Shorts Day is either your idea of heaven or hell. If you’re an introvert who finds pleasure in being alone, a campus full of loud, half-drunken students is a nightmare. If this is how you feel, here are a few steps to get you through the day in one piece.

Find refuge on the sixth floor of TFDL:

Usually a prime spot sought out by students, it’s a struggle to find a seat on any of the top two floors of the Taylor Family Digital Library during a regular school day. However, with half the campus lying half-drunk along some pathway or throwing up in the nearest garbage, TFDL transforms during BSD to a secluded haven for some alone time. BSD is the one day in which no one bothers turning up to class, let alone study, leading us on to the next step…

Actually go to class:

If your professor hasn’t already cancelled class due to the expected low attendance, you might as well show up. Today might be the day you’ll get to know the prof well enough to ask for a reference letter. Even if going to class was your plan all along, you still have every right to be pissed at that one professor who scheduled a quiz on BSD.

Avoid large crowds:

This is where you let your inner hermit come out. If you hear a group of loud
students having fun between themselves, avoid them at all cost. If you’re not quick enough, you’ll be swarmed by inebriated students clad in Hawaiian shirts and dollar-store leis. When confronted with the situation, run to the nearest washroom as soon as possible — once again, leading us on to the next point…

Find the perfect washroom:

Find the cleanest washrooms if you plan on spending a large amount of time watching your favourite YouTube vids in the stalls. Just make sure your hideout isn’t too popular or you may encounter students puking  up their 7:30-a.m. jello shots. A good option would be Social Sciences — the older, more rundown the washroom, the better.

Sleep in:

The easiest way to avoid any BSD drama is to not come in at all.

This article is part of our humour section.