Supposedly, as a student body, we appreciate the members of the support staff who work so hard to make Bowdoin a safe and enjoyable place to live and learn. From Bowdoin's top-notch Information Technology staff to the facilities crew to the acclaimed Dining Service, much of what we are proud of at Bowdoin stems from the people who work in these departments. Yet, judging by the behavior of some of us at late-night dining during the past few years, it sometimes appears that our actions contradict our supposed gratitude.
The director of the dining service sent an email to the student digest this week reminding students to follow the rules during Super Snack. These rules are not particularly difficult to follow: Don't try various techniques to slip in after hours and don't make nasty comments to the front-desk checker. This follows a similar message last year, co-signed by the president of Bowdoin Student Government, reminding students that they should not be belligerent to the staff. In the spring of 2005, a physical altercation occurred in Thorne Hall. These are the worst of the cases?and we can all probably recollect times when a friend (or maybe even one of us!) made an unnecessary mess or exhibited other disrespectful behavior.
We dislike using this space to "lecture" to fellow students, and that is not what we are trying to do today. Rather, we want to challenge ourselves to remember that no matter what the time of day, no matter what the place, no matter what we may have been drinking, we are still students of Bowdoin College and must live up to the responsibility that comes with this privilege. How can we be a community that is truly committed to the "Common Good" when we cannot even be committed to courteous behavior within our own community?
As students, the vast majority of us do appreciate the fantastic spread that the Super Snack staff offers us three nights a week, and the vast majority of us do know that some of the behavior that we have witnessed is out of line. Not only is such behavior selfish and embarassing, but we fear it may cause the Dining Service to consider terminating Super Snack.
The best thing we can do when seeing friends act disrespectfully is to tell them to cut it out instead of laughing at their antics.
The editorial represents the majority view of The Bowdoin Orient's editorial board. The editorial board is comprised of Bobby Guerette, Beth Kowitt, and Steve Kolowich.