Little inconveniences no big deal
Cartoon by Stephanie Lesniak
Campus Times
November 1, 1996
One thing everyone knows, whether they are a student, faculty or staff
member, they quickly learn all the little idiosyncrasies that separate the
University of La Verne from any other place in the world.
Coming out of the Student Center after checking your mailbox and as you
open the Student Center door to jet back to your dorm room, you already
know in the back of your mind no matter how much of a hurry you may be in
that the right door in the Student Center will not open all the way. If
pushed out hard enough, that door will scrape against the ground and make
the most annoying noise. So, you open it half way.
When walking on your merry way back to Brandt Hall and knowing that about
this time the sprinklers will soon spring on, you make your way on the side
walk instead of the usual short cut through the grass. Oh no, you forgot
your keys and your roommate is eating at Warehouse. Well, try the door on
the west side. Why? Because it's always open.
These are just a few of the everyday idiosyncrasies that most of the student
body just deals with. There are things that you just learn about, people
and situations and plan on them in your day-to-day life.
At home you may know that the third stair squeaks and while sneaking in
at night you try your hardest to avoid it. It also goes for the golden rule
that no one runs the wash while someone's in the shower. While school is
our second home, there are plenty of things that the average person comes
to know and accept about the campus at ULV.
How about the fact that some classrooms have the air conditioning on arctic
freeze forcing you to carry a sweater, or that if you are a commuter and
have a late class or leave campus giving up your parking space you better
allow yourself a few minutes before class to stake out the area looking
for somewhere to park.
On a rainy day, you expect to go back to a warm dorm room, only to find
that the water stain in the corner is now leaking dirty, disgusting, moldy
water onto your bed.
Living on campus you learn to allow your next-door neighbors the luxury
of listening to their music at an occasionally loud volume, unless you wish
for them to retort when you decide to hear the concert version of New Kids
on the Block. You also become aware of the fact that if, by some odd coincidence,
everyone has to use the bathroom the same time you're in the shower you
better be ready for the worst experience of your hygienic life.
Why do we put up with all this madness? If this was not school, would the
story be different? Well, off-campus most don't stand for a rude neighbor
or a broken door. The tenant would call the manager and request for the
situation to be immediately fixed. But, hey, tuition could be considered
a sort of rent, but the idea that nothing will ever be done about it leads
us to just go on and forget about all the odd things that we have come to
except. Like a wise person once said: "That's life, deal with it!"