Returning students are well aware of the chaos that ensues the first few days of classes, and first-time students are quickly finding it out.
Stress levels are high, and in the midst of the hustle and bustle, many students are concerned only with their own affairs, and common-sense consideration often falls by the wayside.
Here are a few etiquette guidelines to follow when journeying to and from class:
If you feel that you absolutely MUST carry on a phone conversation in a classroom before class begins or when it’s over, speak at a normal volume level or leave the room.
Despite what you might think, people around you are not at all interested in hearing about your uber-eventful social life, your crazy weekend on the Strip, your girlfriend who has a crush on her hot English professor or your friend who had one too many last night and executed a gnarly (albeit mildly impressive) face plant into the ground.
If you’re a smoker who needs to blow off some steam between classes, feel free to puff away — just not directly in front of building doors. Others may not want to walk through a tar-infused cloud to get to their next class. The rule is 25 feet away, people. It’s posted.
Don’t just cross the street wherever you feel like it. In doing so, you’re only adding to the confusion and slow-downs.
Being a pedestrian does not give you limitless freedom to hold up a long line of cars just so you can take a shortcut. Walk that extra 10 or 20 feet to the crosswalk, lazy.
Don’t park in the staff parking lots if you’re not a member of staff and don’t have the window sticker to prove it. Those spots are reserved for our esteemed educators and OSU employees. Plus, you’ll find out pretty quick that’s an excellent way to get a ticket from one of the many well-loved parking enforcers.
Have you seen the white lane markings on many of the wider sidewalks?
Those are bicycle lanes. Walk in the middle of them, and you may just get mowed down by a bike and probably warrant a few bystander laughs in the process. And you’ll have no one to blame but yourself. There’s plenty of room on the other half of the sidewalk. You know, the area specifically for foot-traffic.
The Student Union is always extremely overcrowded the first week of classes. This should not come as a surprise to anyone. In the meantime, figure out what you want to eat before getting up to the food court establishment of your choice. Please be prepared instead of gabbing away with nearby friends or talking on the phone and then standing there stupidly at the counter trying to decide, therefore holding up the line.
Also, if you feel you need to grab a catnap between classes, don’t do it in the Union — save those spots on the first, second and third levels of the atrium for people who want to eat or study.
There are plenty of other good napping spots on campus (the Edmon Low Library, for example).
Remember, the confusion will die down in a week or two. Until then, please be aware of and thoughtful toward your peers, so we can coexist in our college environment peacefully.
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