Winter recess may be over, but Lake Ontario still prevails in bombarding Oswego with floods of rain and hurricane-like winds of snow. No surprise there. Walking backward to avoid face-numbing winds as well as bundling up in winter attire may slightly ease the impact of typical Oswego weather. The most common attire, particularly among female students, are the infamous Ugg boots. However, within the depths of winter in Oswego, these boots aren’t made for walking.

Water, slush, and puddles are the natural enemies of Uggs. As I learned in the past (having a couple pairs, myself), one wrong step on a wet or snowy day may ruin them. A splash of water, and the genuine suede on the outside of Uggs becomes splotched with dark patches. Once they dry, the color and material dissipates until the result is a boot nothing like when it first came out of the box.

After trudging to and from classes on a rainy day or snow-covered ground, water seeps into the boots. From what I’ve experienced, mud is the worst and it is impossible to remove from the suede, no matter how hard you scrub.

Appearing early in the millennium, there’s no denying that Uggs continue to polarize the nation. Not a day passes when you don’t see a student wearing the infamous footwear, and it really doesn’t matter where you are, as long as it’s an area that gets snow. What is it about Uggs that drive so many to purchase them? Perhaps it is their colors, ranging from neutrals, like chestnut, to cutesy pastels, like lilac. It could be the soft, comfortable sheep skin lining the interior. It may be their simplistic design, one that anyone can pull off, though women tend to wear them with greater ease than men.

Although Uggs are popular and they inspire the knock-offs that are sold at a number of clothing stores, their ability to keep feet warm and dry in snow and rain remains inadequate.