The past two months have been an eventful chapter in The College of Wooster’s anthology, a section I would call “The Fall of Etiquette.” Despite the College’s legitimization of emptying our wallets with the $30 million Scot Center or aesthetic restoration of living spaces to combat an unforeseen housing crisis, no amount of cash can be thrown to correct the blatant uncivilized actions embedded in the student population.
The Voice has repeatedly brought up the topic of decorum, whether referencing library etiquette, stalking issues or other problems. I venture to add a general feeling of unconstructive behavior in a portion of the student population. Too often this semester have security reports and the Wooster Headline News given evidence of reprehensible actions on campus, as well as events not documented in publications. I can list three responsible upperclassmen this semester that found their laptops stolen from the library or their own rooms. Drunken fights are now supplemented with threats of knifing. Wooster Security repeatedly reports students yelling verbal assaults and physical harassment, many times aimed at officers despite their inability to do much of anything in a given situation.† Many Wooster weekends turn into lawn parties which lead to outdoor brawls and grossly immature actions.
Alcohol is an understandably easy culprit to label ó this paper has recently discussed the consequences of new drinks like Four Loko. Yet some minor acts of debauchery are commonplace in any social situation, as first-years will always find it funny to set off a fire extinguisher the first month here or access the roof of their dormitory. As a resident of a campus house, I accept some things will get broken during a party and the next morning trash will carpet the carpets. Yet I don’t expect people to drink my beverages, try to steal food from my kitchen and then urinate in my stairwell. There’s a place on weekend nights for underage students to act like degenerate fools ñóUG dance parties always need grind partners.
Yet it’s not a solution to corral these people into a single party every weekend; the solution is to either shape up or not gain acceptance to Wooster in the first place. I wish the admissions process had a more effective way to judge an applicant’s character so I didn’t have to live at a school with those who are content torturing students’ lives by stealing expensive technology they need to further their education. Clearly some people aren’t here to learn but to stay selfish uneducated brutes for the rest of their lives.
These people most likely don’t read the Voice, nor do they participate much in intellectual events the College provides in innumerable ways. As a result, an article really can’t hope to advance a program where students act any differently. Efforts like last year’s Civility Day, sponsored in part by the Student Government Association as a response to the disrespect and rampant theft at Mom’s after-parties, seems to not have alleviated any social ills, evident by the actual solution of merely moving the commonly stolen items to the C-Store / Macleod’s, a more secure location.
Adding security does not change a student’s affinity for stealing or violence and I don’t think anyone wants to live in a police-state on a liberal arts campus. Ultimately, those who are not responsible enough to govern themselves without endangering their fellow students’ goals of education and a well-rounded life do not deserve acceptance to an institution of higher learning such as Wooster. Unfortunately, I don’t see much reason to hope this “Fall of Etiquette” isn’t followed by a “Winter of Discontent.”
John McGovern is the Chief Copy Editor† for the Voice. He can be reached for comment at JMcGovern12@wooster.edu.