Respect UCLA: Clean up after yourself!

Respect UCLA: Clean up after yourself!

By Gina Shaw

I am so proud of the UCLA campus that I often brag about the
school to my friends who attend other universities. I believe this
campus is one of the most beautiful anywhere. Of course, this is
based on my view of the campus before the construction started and,
therefore, cannot be shared by many of you out there. Before all
the construction, our campus was beautiful and stately.

However, lately I have been noticing that our campus isn’t as
elegant and picturesque as it can be. No, it is not because of
construction, but rather, it is due to the trash students leave all
over campus. The trash is not just one or two cups left on the
walls along Bruin Walk. It is due to students leaving their dirty
trays and wrappings inside various facilities.

I know construction on the campus is cluttering up UCLA, but do
we have to contribute to it by leaving our trash wherever we like?
I have friends who work Treehouse security at night and one of
their closing duties is to clean off the tables in the Treehouse.
Imagine such a large dining area with more than half the tables
filled with mashed onion rings and ketchup which has spread all
over the trays.

The tables also have half-eaten orange chicken that has been
sitting there for more than two hours ­ and that’s just the
beginning. We all must be more responsible and clean up after
ourselves. We cannot assume that those students should act as our
own personal maids just because they are being paid.

This problem is not limited to the food areas, as you may
initially believe. The scope includes facilities such as
classrooms, Ackerman Grand Ballroom, Dickson Plaza, Melnitz
Theater, etc. Students will leave their half-finished cup of Coke
on the floor after a movie or after a class. Sometimes they will
also knock their cup over and spill liquid all over the place. They
never tell anyone about the mess they have created and they
certainly do not attempt to clean it up themselves. Why do we force
others to clean up after us as if we are 5 years old?

I don’t understand why people continue to leave their trash
everywhere when they know that other students will have to clean up
after them. Your mother is not being paid to work in the areas
where you eat. If you want to feel at home, go home!

When you are out in public, you should respect others and clean
up after yourself. The mess you leave on your table, whether it is
a clean, empty tray or a tray with a half-eaten burger and a
spilled strawberry shake, does not magically disappear because you
leave it there. I believe we all agree that trash is unappealing.
It is not beautiful and it is definitely not a form of art. If we
could throw away our own trash, think of how much better our campus
could look through such a minor effort.

Shaw is a senior majoring in applied mathematics.