Written by Jonathan Barker | Media by Thomas Hajny
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We’re finally at the age when we can proudly live on our own without our parents hounding us for staying out too late. Yes, we’ve become responsible enough to live with our peers away from home. This is a monumental event for all parties involved as new chapters begin in our lives. However, it seems that often times my floor-mates have forgotten that since Mom and Dad are not present, their messes won’t “magically disappear.”
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Entering my 3rd year in traditional housing, there are a few things I’m simply sick of. I love my floor-mates and spending time within the community many of us have built. However, my nose often disagrees as a lack of hygiene sets in. Perhaps, such a large horde of men who don’t shower shouldn’t live in such close vicinity. Those who do take showers seem to forget that others have to share with them. I can ignore the fact that the majority of my peers are comfortable urinating in the showers, however, the wild hair follicles that came from God-knows-where is when I draw the line. But that’s not the worst part of my communal bathroom experience. Urinals are designed for maximum efficiency. It’s almost impossible to “miss” but my peers also manage that as well.
Another issue that I struggle to tolerate is the intermittent obnoxious noises from various rooms on my floor. As an introvert, I enjoy as much peace and quiet I can get. Headphones help contain my frustration at times, but having a full-out workout session right outside my door at 3 am is hard to ignore. It may be deceiving, but the hallway is not a track and wasn’t intended to be your cardio exercise. There are a million other places in Greenville you can get the same exercise, I promise. I’m trying to sleep, please go outside. Blasting music at this hour probably isn’t the best decision either and no one cares how excited you are that you beat your roommate in FIFA.
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Another highlight of my life in traditional housing was being a witness to a cupcake fight. I was surprised, to say the least, walking out of my room to see leftover cupcake shrapnel all over the floor. It looked like someone ambushed the Muffin Man as he was desperately trying to defend himself. This is not only disrespectful to all residents of Joy Hall but to the janitors as well, who spend extra time cleaning up our mess. One can say “boys will be boys” but I disagree. We are men and we should act like it. The 2011 renovation of Joy Hall was a very expensive addition and so we should treat it as such.
In conclusion, I think we can do a lot better. I’m not satisfied with the way we, as a whole (myself included), treat our residence halls and I may never be. We deserve better and Joy Hall deserves better. Passive-aggressiveness only goes so far. So I am challenging YOU to do your best to treat your residence hall with respect. If you make a mess, clean it up. It’s as simple as that.
