As winter settles into Binghamton, students find it necessary to make certain adjustments in their lifestyles in order to survive. While this may mean getting up a few minutes earlier to clean snow off your car or throwing on a few extra layers before walking down to class, it’s comforting to know that some aspects of student life will never change — one of them being what girls are wearing downtown.

Like postmen, many girls are willing to brave rain, sleet and dark of night in order to wear their miniskirts. This leaves many wondering just how students are staying warm on State Street.

Some find warmth huddling around the pizza ovens of downtown eateries.

“Find refuge in Pepe’s … but do not eat anything from there,” said Joann Clinton, a freshman nursing major.

For aid in keeping their body temperatures up, others turn to what downtown does best: alcohol.

“When it gets colder, I get drunker,” said Elena Sabinson, a junior English major.

Sarah Hirsch, a freshman English major, agreed.

“Honestly, when you’re drunk you don’t even know you’re cold. I’ve heard people call it wearing your beer jacket.”

Julie Chen, a senior accounting major, offered an extremely practical suggestion for dealing with cold nights.

“I stay in. I remember running in the snow in open-toed shoes trying to get guys to give us jackets,” she said.

Getting the attention of the opposite sex is a powerful motivator behind downtown attire selection. For some guys, skimpy clothing often does the trick.

“When you see them wearing that and it’s cold out, you know they’re drunk — and that’s a good thing,” said freshman Greg Broytman.

Not everyone, however, finds this style to be the most attractive.

“I think girls that dress like that when it’s cold are retarded, and I want to punch them in the face,” said sophomore philosophy, politics and law major Joe Dier.

One typical dilemma that students face is what to do with coats and jackets once they’re inside the bar.

“The Rat does coat check for $1 on weekends, and The Sports Bar has a coat room but no one watches it so your coat could get stolen,” Sabinson said.

Still, some female students have found ways to dress for the weather while remaining fashionable.

“When I was a freshman I would wear tank tops and stuff downtown. After being here for four years you learn your lesson,” said senior English major Jessica Kase.

Downtown many girls opt to wear jeans instead of skirts, and boots instead of heels.

“I’ll wear a jean jacket, tank top, large fashion belt, jeans with boots. If I’m not comfortable I feel like I’ll be fixing things all night long,” Clinton said.

“It’s about cute comfort, not about being sloppy,” added Aimee Seifert, a senior English major.

Sam Nia, a junior psychobiology major, offers his own advice on how all ladies can keep themselves toasty and in vogue this winter.

“I have two words for you — fur thongs,” he said.