Most people come to college knowing for the next four (or five) years that they will more or less have to take care of themselves. And for most people, living in dorms isn’t much of a challenge.  Doing your own laundry isn’t rocket science, it’s more about the fight for a washer/dryer on a weeknight. You’ll get used to dining hall food quicker than you think, and your shower shoes will quickly become your best friend. We’re all in this together as students living in dorms.

But apparently, some people don’t really get it. These are dormitories, where a lot of other people have to live too. Last time I checked, the dorms on Oswego State’s campus are not some amusement park for you to trash with your friends whenever you’re drunk and think it’s funny. I’m not talking about guys leaving the seat down and still going for it or delivery containers being lazily placed on those tiny bathroom trashcans. Those are somewhat forgivable transgressions when put into perspective.

Over the last few weeks, toilets on my floor have been clogged to the point where the water spreads all over the floor, mirrors have been smeared with the contents of dining hall to-go cups, and every weekend without fail, the floors of every elevator in my building are filled with empty beer cans, crushed cups, and covered in sticky, wet, God knows what. Who does this? How old are you? What would possess you do this to the place that you and other people have to live for months at a time? I would very much like to think that your mothers raised you better than that.

I find it absolutely disgusting that not only do some students do this and think it’s hilarious, but that they then pass off the job of cleaning it up to our school’s custodial staff. The saint-like resolve and diligence that these men and women exhibit day in and day out is nothing short of amazing to me. I don’t even like thinking about what they have to deal with on a Sunday morning because it upsets me that much. You should take the time to find your floor’s cleaning person and personally thank them for what they do; it’s the least you can do. A lot of students don’t take the time to think about how their bathrooms magically clean and repair themselves day after day. This is what leads to the pervasive attitude of “this is OK for me to do, because it’ll get cleaned up eventually by someone else.” And that is not OK in the least.

Being at this school is an immense privilege for a lot of people and behavior like this ruins it for students just trying to better themselves and broaden their horizons. We already have a bad enough reputation among the people of Oswego, so why trash our on-campus homes? At this rate, I won’t blame the administration one bit for placing surveillance cameras in elevators or in the tunnels connecting dining halls. The people doing this know who they are and hopefully this will serve as a wakeup call to them. Grow up. You’re why we can’t have nice things.