Op-ed: Do people act like this in their home?

by Stephanie LeClair

Littering has always been an issue in everyday society.

When people think of littering they usually think of trash being thrown on the ground outside. The definition of litter is, “make (a place) untidy with rubbish or a large number of objects left lying about.” It can be anywhere, including restrooms.

Pictures of restrooms on college campuses around the world are often posted online showing disgusting messes. Restrooms have been no exception and this is not the universities’ fault.

(Photo: Tino Ayala)

Students feel a lack of responsibility when it comes to keeping their bathrooms clean. This is because they do not have to clean it themselves. The trash overflows with personal trash that the students are too lazy to take to the dumpster outside, the toilets have trash around them and sometimes the bathroom is made messy on purpose as a joke.

This behavior is unacceptable and rude. The staff hired to clean the restrooms do not deserve to be dealing with the constant outrageous messes that are carelessly left behind for them each and every weekend.

My question for these particular students is, do you behave this way at your house? At your friends house?

If the answer to my question is no, why would you behave that way here at school? This is you and your friends home away from home. Treat it and the people who clean your messes with respect.

The university can crack down on this behavior by establishing better consequences for littering in the bathrooms. Charging the whole hallway with a fee creates good incentive not to destroy the bathrooms but not enough. If there is a specific restroom that is continuously made a mess of, the students of that hallway should have to start cleaning it themselves.