Editorial: Campus Pet Peeves

Pet peeves make you ask yourself, “Why do you keep doing that?” and “Is this annoying anyone else?”

It happens to everyone. You’re 10 minutes late, you have a quiz, you still need to buy a Scantron and when you pull onto campus, there they are: the vultures.

Parking vultures hunt for parking spots and if necessary stake out their prey, turn off their engines and wait for the next person to pull out of that coveted slot.

Vultures have no problem eating their lunch, reading their next class assignment or simply talking on the phone just to pass the time.

What makes parking vultures so special that they may park at the ends of each aisle as opposed to driving around like everyone else?

That same kind of rudeness is prevalent throughout campus. Whatever happened to customer service with a smile?

Sometimes people aren’t as nice as they are paid to be. It often seems that dealings with different departments and services on campus do not yield a pleasant experience.

Many locations are understaffed and the employees are overworked. In many situations though, we are forced to deal with student employees who do not care, or have an “it’s not my problem” attitude.

Other employees who are underpaid are just as lacking in enthusiasm. And it isn’t always just customer service.

Fellow students can be just as inconsiderate, like those who spit their gum on the ground when there is a garbage can just a couple of feet away. And then comes the poor soul who steps on this newly spit-out gum and gets not only the gum on his or her shoe, but also the debris and trash it attracts along the way.

Speaking of shoes, why would someone want to dress as if they were going out on the town (with shoes they can barely walk in) to their Biology 10 class? Not just shoes, but some of these people come to school dressed as if they will be walking the runway during the next Vogue fashion show in the free speech area.

Okay, Vogue is a stretch. Inquire magazine is more like it.

We’re sure you can learn in a pair of jeans and tennis shoes just as well as you can in those 5-inch Mariah Carey stiletto pumps. There is an appropriate mode of dress that demonstrates respect for your professors and classmates. Skip the heels and the pajamas. We know that the exception to this rule is finals time, but during the rest of the year please take pride in your appearance. You are the face of Fresno State.

So even though you are running late and there is no way you will get reasonable parking with the birds of prey hovering around, pull a comb through your hair, check your teeth in the mirror. Park where you can. Yes, you will be late for your quiz, but you can use the extra minutes you spend walking to cram a bit more.

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