I have come to the conclusion that a lot of people in the world lack home training. Just to clarify, home training refers to those skills that are imparted to individuals by their parents in the home during development. These skills include, but are not limited to: table etiquette, hygienic practices and, of course, manners. I fear a lot of people in the world and, more specifically, at the College, lack this cornerstone of their development. Here are a few observations as to why I feel this way.
The most obvious is the way we treat each other. It is not, nor will it ever be, cool to disrespect one another. "One another" includes those who work for the College. I no longer frequent on-campus eateries or the C-store, but when I am there I notice the overwhelming lack of "please" and "thank you."
The people who work for Sodexho are not your servants. They are honest, hard working people just trying to make a living. When you ask for food that they have to give you, why not just say, "May I please have some mashed potatoes?" or "Thank you for making my sandwich." Is it that hard, or did no one ever teach you that?
Please do not get mad when people call you out on stuff you know you aren't supposed to be doing. Case in point: the library. (I am beating a dead horse with this one, I know.) When you walk into the library, there are three signs screaming at you to not eat or drink in the library. When you disregard the sign and smuggle food in, don't get mad at people for telling you to throw it out. They are simply doing their jobs. Don't be ornery. Just learn how to read.
Building Services is not your momma. Please do not leave crap around and expect other people to clean up after you. This is especially applicable to the bathrooms on campus. If you are too lazy to aim for the toilet when you do your thing in there, why should it be someone else's responsibility to clean it? Honestly.
Rules are in place in residence halls for a reason: to protect you from yourselves. If you aren't supposed to be drinking in your dorm and you get caught doing so, don't take it out on the Community Advisor (CA). Parties in the common area that involve loud conversation at 4 a.m. are not cool. When CAs put up bulletin boards, don't rip them down and/or deface them/pee on them. Do you know that's not cool, or did no one teach you that either?
All I am saying is, just try and act like you got some home training - even if you didn't. I should hope that the exceptional SAT scores that gained you entrance to the College would be coupled with some level of common sense. Treat others the way you want to be treated. If you want to be treated like a jerk, then expect it in return. If you want respect, give respect. You will be amazed at how much better the College can be if we all start acting like we had home training.
