Emily WilliamsThere are many great things about returning to campus for a new semester. But with tens of thousands of people also making their return, there’s a good chance someone is going to get on your nerves. And by the third week even the most patient people have quietly lost their temper at least once. If you are doing any of these, just know I and likely others are glaring daggers at you.
5. Taking up two bus seats
This is for all the commuters on campus. Now that all 40,000 students are back on campus, the buses and LRTs are packed full during rush hours. No longer are there tons of seats to choose from. There’s only so many to go around and the rest of us have to stand. That’s simply the way it is. But if you sit down and set your bag on the seat beside you, steam starts blowing out of my ears like a cartoon character. Simply take a look around, there’s way too many people to be taking up two seats all by yourself. Even if the bus or LRT isn’t packed, you bet it will be full in a few minutes. So take that bag off the seat beside you and let someone sit there.
4. Leaving a mess behind
We are adults here, there is no reason you should be leaving a mess behind when you leave a class or a study area. Just clean up after yourself — it’s that simple. I don’t want to have to clean up someone else’s crumbs or spilled drink every time I sit down to study. Sure, the university’s cleaning standards aren’t fantastic, but we can help each other out by being decent human beings.
3. Not respecting quiet areas
There is a reason certain floors or areas in buildings are designated to be quiet. So do not go there to chat with friends or study as a group. There are a ton of other places you can do that where you won’t disturb people who are specifically seeking a quiet place to work. Most of the time, there are clear signs saying it’s a quiet space so there’s no excuse. If anything, chatting in a quiet space just gives everyone around you ample chance to eavesdrop.
2. Slow walkers
During the summer months on campus, I could speed-walk to my heart’s content. Now with crowds of people — most of them walking very slowly — I feel like I’m swerving in and out of traffic. I didn’t know pedestrians could get road rage. Of course everyone can walk at the pace of their choosing. But please, if you are going to walk slowly, get off to the side. And don’t walk in a four-person-wide group at the pace of a snail.
1. Yappers
Now, I understand many classes have a participation mark meant to encourage you to speak up in class. And most of the time, that’s totally fine. But you do not have to respond to everything the professor says. There are times to close your mouth, put your hand down, and simply listen. The rest of us paid to learn from the professor, not listen to one person’s ideas and opinions throughout the entire class. If you really have that much to share with the professor, go to their office hours and annoy them alone. Don’t make the rest of us suffer too.
