Opinion & Editorial Editor
F&M, here’s the deal. If we’re all going to be upset that we have a reputation in the community and in the world for being spoiled, little brats, then it’s time we earn the right to be upset about it. Spring is here and the weather is finally beautiful. Apparently the Facebook statuses and voiced frustrations of a select few are not coming across clearly enough so here’s one more place to say it: if you are going to lay out on Hartman all day and eat your ZeBi’s food and drink your Salsa Rico sodas, then clean them up when you leave. This problem started as the weather got nicer out and has continued through last weekend at Spring Arts. I know we are all grateful to be able to enjoy the warm weather and spending time outside, but we need to be very conscious of the way we treat Hartman and the rest of campus when we utilize it.
Don’t get me wrong: I am so happy to see the lawn peppered with blankets and sunbathers. It puts everyone in a nicer mood and even makes professors want to profess outside. Even the Frisbee players are a nice replacement to dredges of snow. However, what I do not appreciate is the fact that so many people enjoying the quad are leaving behind cans, paper, and other types of waste. I’m not blaming any one group of people, any organization or any clique — what I am saying is we all need to work together to pick up after ourselves and perhaps even take the strides to pick up after others who have forgotten to do the same.
By not cleaning up after ourselves, we ruin the experience of sitting outside for not only one another, but also it makes us appear rude and disrespectful. We still have a few more weeks of school and, with any luck, many more sunny days to come. As a favor to not only the community, but also ourselves, we should all work together to prove that we are not.
All of us slip up and forget our things sometimes, but these past couple of weeks have gotten out of hand. As the end of the year winds down, I think it would be very important if we proved to both ourselves and the community that we know how to take care of the land around us and have respect for one another. As we enjoy the nice weather, let’s also try our hardest to be nice to one another by valuing the beauty of our campus.
Questions? Email Sara at sblank@fandm.edu.