Residence hall living requires respect
By Colin Nagy
On Sunday morning, a friend and I were on our way to get some breakfast at Benson Memorial Center. We boarded the elevator, began chatting the casual "elevator talk" and generally thought nothing of this common routine. All of a sudden, something gooey hit my friend in the head. The substance? A large mass of mucus sticking to the ceiling, slowly dripping down in search of a target. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now he had someone's vile fluids in his hair.
Thousands of dollars in fines have been issued for Swig residence hall in the past few weeks. Some of the offenses? Urine in the elevators, immortalizing yourself by burning your name, "Joel," or some other catch phrase into the elevator carpet with a lighter; leaving large amounts of trash in the hallways; vomiting in the stairwells and the aforementioned trend of spitting on the elevator ceilings. Got some stress built up? Why not just destroy a table on the eleventh floor to the tune of $500 and let everyone else pay for it? This issue doesn't only apply to Swig, but to all of the other residence halls.
The logic seems to elude me. Why trash the building you have to live in every day? If, in your alcohol-induced stupor, you feel that it is hilarious to spew various bodily fluids in the elevator, I beg you to reconsider.
One of the things that bothers me the most is the fact that some residents show a blatant lack of consideration for the people who have to clean the building every day. Everyone living in Swig, for example, seems to know Orville, the friendly maintenance staff worker with a permanent smile on his face. Every day, I see people having pleasant conversations with him and I can't help but think that some of these people are the ones who make his job considerably more challenging and unpleasant. This is rather confusing because I can't understand why someone would intentionally want to do this to such a good man, or anyone for that matter. They have enough to do during the day without the added burden of being responsible for other people's messes. Perhaps people fail to see this connection. The current situation shows both disrespect and indifference on everyone's part. Why not help Orville and the rest of the staff and refrain from throwing your rubbish in the halls, stairwell and elevator?
When looking at the fine sheets posted all around the building, at first I was shocked at how much money was being charged to the residents on behalf of the immature behavior of certain people. After briefly talking with the resident director, I found that these fines are often to deter these actions in the future, in addition to covering the cost of destroyed items. These fines can be easily remedied if people start taking responsibility for their actions and act in a mature manner. I realize that this is a lot to ask of some people, but if the majority of residents make an effort, then positive changes will come about.
These problems are prominent in Swig, the most notorious of all dorms, but the same conditions exist elsewhere on campus. Communal living has its advantages and disadvantages, but the problems can be significantly improved when members of the community have consideration for their surrounding environment where they have to live and study.
When living with hundreds of other people, it is important to show respect not only for the people that clean the building, but for other residents. I may be going out on a limb, but I venture to say that a majority of people do not like riding urine-soaked elevators or walking down halls filled with trash and other debris. People have the right to ride the elevator without having to fear foreign substances dripping on them, or having to tread in a mysterious, sticky substance. Without sounding too clichŽ, I am trying to convey that living in Swig or any other on-campus housing is a community effort, and with positive contributions from residents it will surely be a better place to live - no longer will we fear mucous dripping from the ceiling or rat infestations from trash strewn in the halls.
Colin Nagy is a freshman communication major.