Within a university, one would assume that most people have a certain level of intelligence and a certain amount of knowledge. Yet somehow a large portion of people on this campus lack a sense of common courtesy.
Common courtesy centers on the realization that there are other people who share this campus with you. I, for one, am tired of people spitting all over the sidewalk. Why is this necessary? Considering that the culprits are often men, I have to wonder if it is just a display of masculinity. It is nothing short of disgusting, especially if people are eating near by. And, if one is brave enough to wear flip-flops, there is the possibility of stepping in a stranger’s saliva and having others’ body fluid contact the skin. If anyone out there finds that they have to spit, for whatever reason, I implore you to have some common courtesy and aim for the bushes.
This spitting habit comes to mind right away because it is public, just like littering. Overall, I find the University to be impressively clean. Yet there are some who leave their Big-Gulp cups sitting by benches and drop their gum wrappers. I do not see how someone can litter without feeling guilty, and I also do not see how people can walk by a piece of trash and not feel obligated to pick it up. We have all heard the saying, “If you aren’t part of the solution you’re part of the problem,” and it’s true. I encourage everyone to pick up any large pieces of trash. It is absurd to expect people to dig through the leaves to get a gum wrapper, but when various sections of a newspaper are scattered around a bench, why not take a couple of seconds to stop and pick it up? That simple act can make a world of a difference.
Another simple thing to consider is how one enters and exits a room. During a recent panel discussion in the lounge of my dorm, people entered and exited the building, letting the door slam each time. There was a panel, an audience, a camera and a stream of door-slammers. I understand that the disruption was not intentional and comes with being in a dorm. But door-slamming should not be a problem in the classroom. During a recent midterm, people were leaving as they finished and every time people left they let the door slam behind them. I sat there trying to answer the essay questions as the door banged shut every 30 seconds. Where is the common courtesy? Taking a midterm is stressful enough without having loud, repetitive noise.
There are aspects of common courtesy that go beyond simply annoying those around you. Take, for example, washing your hands. You may not think that washing hands has no effect on any one else, but it does. In a study conducted by the American Society for Microbiology, more than 7,000 adults were observed in airport restrooms across the country to see just how common hand-washing is. Overall, 90 percent of women wash their hands and 75 percent of men wash their hands. This may not seem that bad, but one must take into account that people who don’t wash their hands open that bathroom door to leave. And people who do wash their hands have to touch the same handle. Then they are out in the world where the non-hand-washers touch other surfaces and shake hands. These people can easily spread the common cold, the flu virus and more serious diseases such as hepatitis A, impetigo and pinworm. Believe me, these things are not nice. I have seen countless women leave the bathroom without washing and it makes me cringe every time. Do they think that they don’t have germs? To help protect yourself and others from germs, all it takes is some soap, water and 20 seconds of your time.
Hand-washing really comes down to health, as does smoking. I could never smoke. It smells gross, it is unhealthy, it is addictive and it would not mesh well with my asthma. As an asthmatic individual I often find myself having a hard time breathing if I am around someone who is smoking or wearing three layers of perfume. And I have to say that I have found the quantity of perfume to be a larger problem than the smokers. From what I have seen, people stay off to the side or go to appropriate areas to smoke. Sure, there is the occasional person who walks through a crowd blowing smoke into everyone’s face, but for the most part, University smokers have a sense of common courtesy.
It is not hard to be polite and courteous. It is not hard to realize that you are not the only person out there. So please, close doors quietly, spit in the bushes, pick up your trash and WASH YOUR HANDS!

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