While everyone else on campus seems to be up in arms about our country’s politics and who they think would be the best candidate for president, something else entirely has been riling me up. Something no less infuriating, even if we as a community do not fully recognize it.

Some of the behavior I have seen from my fellow Dickinsonians over the past semester and a half is nothing short of disgraceful. The impetus for writing this op-ed came during All-College Formal, when I saw a facilities staff members on their hands and knees cleaning up the destroyed remnants of a rose, which someone had decided were best scattered across the floor near the coat racks. This shows a flagrant disregard and lack of respect for those people we as a college depend on to keep the institution running smoothly. Leaving such a mess around for someone else to clean up is inexcusable no matter what level of ecstasy or intoxication, because these sorts of actions are hallmarks for poorly behaved toddlers, not college-educated young adults.

If this was the only instance of obvious disrespect for our facilities staff, maybe I would not be so upset. But anyone who has spent more than a few weeks on this campus knows just how poorly some members of our community treat our college’s support staff. Enter a residence hall bathroom on any given weekend. You will most likely find messes so disgusting that we shudder to even fathom cleaning them up, from urine to vomit to the wonderful remnants of a mid-shower romp in Cupid’s grove. Beer cans and food wrappers litter our quads. Trashcans, especially in the SNAR, are left overflowing to the point of sheer ridiculousness. Dirty dishes and food are left strewn across the cafeteria. All of these issues not only show a lack of respect for our community; they demonstrate an apparent absence of appreciation or recognition for the work that our support staff, from RAs to dining services workers to maintenance crews and more, do.

For all of our concern as a community to focus on respect for all people, we seem to have forgotten our support staff somewhere along the way. We leave our bathrooms filthy, our common areas in complete disarray and our community spaces messy, all without realizing the huge human effort necessary to maintain this institution. While we study for midterms or run off to our classes, our community’s support staff empty our trashcans, wipe down our tables, vacuum our floors and clean up our messes. When was the last time you, individually, thanked them for their help?

We as a community need to foster a climate of respect for all members of our school’s staff, not just professors and administrators. What that means on a practical level, I am not sure. But cleaning up after ourselves, not using the academic quad as a dumpster and putting our soiled dishes where they belong is a start. Even better, thank a member of our support staff for their help the next time you see them. We do not even think about thanking our professors after a day’s class, so why can we not do the same when we see a staff member emptying trash cans or cleaning white boards?

To respond preemptively to those who say that this disrespect comes only from a few people, I say that is no excuse. The racist and bigoted actions of a handful of members of our campus brought us together through the Why We Wear Black Movement. The disrespectful actions of a few have tremendous implications for us all, and whether that comes in the form of cat-calling or litter-dropping, it is unacceptable.