Like most Pitt-Johnstown students, sophomore Logan Rickley trudges through snow on campus walkways. Unlike most students, however, he walks in only T-shirts and shorts.

For many students, the first thing that comes to  mind when they see people walking in snow with T-shirts and shorts would be similar to what freshman Dimitri Peros said.

“Are those guys crazy? It’s 10 degrees out there.”

However, to Rickley, it’s nothing unusual.

“I’m asked (whether I’m cold) almost every day, and by everyone.

“I just genuinely enjoy being in shorts and T-shirts. It’s just comfortable to me. 

“I don’t really get cold unless it’s really windy, and, even then, it’s not that bad. The only part of me that actually gets cold are my hands. I just keep them in my pockets most of the time.”

Although he said he prefers wearing T-shirts and shorts, Rickley said that he also has thicker clothes in his wardrobe.

“I do have jeans, sweatshirts, coats and other things. The only times I wear them though are for work and if my parents force me to.

“I used to wear jeans and sweatshirts because of my parents, but I never really minded the cold that much.”

Rickley said he is the only person in his family who wears so little in cold weather, and that his parents complained about it all the time and tried to make him wear more clothes.

“Honestly, I’m not sure (about why I’m so tolerant to the cold). I just don’t feel that cold and that’s the way it is. (I) can’t really explain it,” he said.

Rickley is not the only student dressed in summer clothes in winter time on campus. One of Rickley’s friends, sophomore Ben Campbell, also wears T-shirts and shorts during the winter.

Campbell said he hasn’t gotten cold thus far. 

“I’m always wearing T-shirts and shorts because I find them to be far more versatile than other apparel. If I wear pants and the heater is on too high, I could overheat.

“I guess that I’ve always been (tolerant to the cold). I’ve been wearing exclusively shorts, with only minor exceptions since maybe second or third grade.”

Campbell said that the only warmer apparel he owns are for formal occasions, and a jacket from his drumline days.

“My parents mostly gave up on me wearing warmer clothes by the end of elementary school. although, they will frequently suggest that I do.

“One of my cousins wears shorts, but in terms of my immediate family, they like a couple of extra layers at almost all temperatures.”

Campbell said that he believes not feeling cold is a state of mind.

“Most of not feeling the cold is a mental fortitude involving years of training, where you overcome limitations,” he said.

Just like Rickley, Campbell said that he has been asked often whether he’s cold.

“I’ve been asked why I’m wearing shorts (or) if I’m cold across the nation, and even in other countries; it’s a very common occurrence.”

Besides the two students, one faculty member has also been asked whether he was cold or not frequently.

Civil engineering professor Brian Houston is often seen wearing T-shirts and shorts on campus, just like Rickley and Campbell.

“I wear T-shirts and shorts for comfort. In my early days of teaching, I ruined many sets of clothes in concrete lab, so it is also because of economy,” Houston said.

“I am not that cold walking, but I do wear a warm jacket. When it gets below 20 degrees, I start wearing pants to work, but change into shorts once I am in the building.”

Houston said that, as he grew older, he became more tolerant of the cold.

“I did not wear this type of outfit when I was younger, but, regardless, I know I was told to put on warmer clothes. I think most children are.

“I think I am the only one in my family with this particular habit. I do know I tell my own kids to dress warmer. (It’s) a little hypocritical.”

Although he said it is impossible for him to wear only T-shirts and shorts all year long, Peros said that he respects other people’s choices.

“If they’re comfortable with it, let them do what they want,” he said.

Wearing only T-shirts and shorts may seem odd to many people, but both Rickley and Campbell said they think there’s nothing unnatural about them.

“The main reason why I wear T-shirts and shorts isn’t because I’m crazy or something. It’s because that’s just what I like to wear,” Rickley said.

“I also thoroughly enjoy the cold because I usually never feel cold. And, if people judge me for doing this, that’s fine. I’m not going to let other people influence how I live my life. 

“If there’s something that you want to do that’s against the norm, there’s nothing stopping you from doing it. You have your own life, and you should get to do whatever you want,” Rickley said. 

“Also, just because one person is wearing shorts and T-shirts, that doesn’t mean you should do that, too. Some things aren’t for everyone.”