Acts of immaturity make UI campus hostile for students and faculty
Drug abuse, robbery, sexual harassment, abduction and murder are all crimes that are major concerns to every community. This is especially true for college towns, where crime can touch the lives of many people.
Amanda Vu
Last month, the University of Idaho Office of Public Safety and Security released the 2014 Security and Fire Safety Report, which indicated an overall decrease in Moscow’s crime rate within the last year. Current students should be relieved at the news and prospective students should be drawn to UI by such appealing statistics. However, there are still some trivial problems making UI unpleasant on a regular basis.
Over Halloween weekend, residents of the 11th floor of the Theophilus Tower discovered someone had defecated in the shower stalls of the community bathroom. Although the trouble maker did not violate local laws or endanger anyone, his or her behavior was immature and disrespectful to the janitorial staff. The action might not be felonious, but it’s certainly problematic.
As a result, the housing staff decided each resident of the Tower will be fined for the damage — unless someone takes responsibility for the disgusting act. Needless to say, this announcement agitated everyone in the Tower.
The incident is only one example of the problems that happen on campus each day. Staff at Bob’s Place have complained that eating utensils are carried out of the dining place and never returned. Quiet study rooms in the library are disturbed by the conversations of loud, inconsiderate and obnoxious students walking by and ruining the peaceful amosphere. Students arrive late to class because someone else was holding the elevator for a friend.
None of these are as impactful as campus crime rates, so the obvious question is, “Why should we care?” The ceramic bowl from Bob’s that disappears should cost no more than $5, the high-volume talks in the library should last no more than 5 seconds and the stairs are always available for those who are impatient to wait for the elevators.
Then there’s the defecation in the Tower bathroom. In the worst case scenario, everyone will be in the same boat and pay the same price — not just one specific individual. Problem solved, right?
Students need to care, because UI is our home for four years. We don’t want to make this place an unfriendly environment for everyone else. We are mature enough to act with consideration and thoughtful minds. We would be frustrated too if we were the victims of other people’s irresponsible actions.
People experience enough trouble in life. Students can be preoccupied with the tests they did poorly on, the parking tickets they were issued, the significant other they broke up with. If we can’t make everyone’s days brighter, we can at least avoid making them worse. No one wants to go to class in a horrible mood because cigarette buds were accidentally flicked on their shirt or chewing gum got stuck on the heels of their new shoes.
Before you decide to do something stupid, imagine how it would be if you ended up the victim of your own stupidity. If you had to deal with the consequences of your actions, maybe you would make better choices.
Amanda Vu can be reached at [email protected]