THE University's aesthetically pleasing nature plays an undoubtedly large role in conveying a spirit of Jeffersonian intellectualism. Whether a visitor is sitting in the Amphitheatre, staring down the Lawn or walking past the Old Cabell Theatre room, he will notice that the University retains a classy look, a beautiful one indeed. This look has been maintained for over 150 years thanks to the constant care provided by University employees, all, of course, spearheaded by our administration and funded by philanthropic alumni. But as any frequenter of the University knows, this beauty is constantly compromised by unnecessary litter of all sorts, a compromise that has several simple solutions.
First of all, however cliché as it may sound, do not litter. Too often our grass is adulterated with beer bottles and boxes; this gives our University a cheap look, one unbefitting of our true status. Mistake this not for a tirade against drinking, for as Benjamin Franklin said, "Beer is proof that God loves us," but there is no need for the beer to be thrown around Grounds. Do the University a favor and take that long walk to a trash can or, dare I say, a recycling bin. By doing this, trash is not only recycled, but our school's beauty is preserved and protected from unnecessary waste. When such trash is left around, the appearance of our University greatly depreciates, but fortunately, the solution is clear and simple: Do not litter.
More importantly, and a bit harder to mitigate, is the ever-lingering problem of fliers and the remains thereof. This problem arises not from simple fliering, which is an effective way to spread the word about an organization, but from illegal fliering that goes by unpunished. Illegal fliering, according to Student Council "Fliering and Chalking Regulations," will this year include fliers attached to lamp posts, columns and pedestrian bridges. Most of these regulations have already been in place, yet organizations nonetheless repeatedly and persistently flier in prohibited locations such as the Cabell colonnades, the Bryant Hall columns and Ruffner Bridge (a.k.a. first year bridge). These fliers taint the University's image, as they are generally disorganized, unprofessional and outright ugly on our otherwise historically precious columns. Furthermore, according to Facilities Management, the tape used to hang them damages the paint on the surfaces on which they are put, exacting an unnecessary cost on the University. Also, the University is forced to ask janitors to walk around cleaning up the fliers (trash) that these CIOs irresponsibly leave in illegal locations in an attempt to restore integrity around Grounds. These individuals should not be asked to clean up the mess made by CIOs who refuse to cooperate with regulations. Instead, e-mails should be sent out to offending CIOs asking them to not only clean up the mess they made, but to refrain from ever doing so again, or face appropriate threats, such as losing CIO status or being fined, a punishment already in place but not noticeably enforced.
The problem is, regardless of the regulations set, the University has not yet even attempted to penalize fliering transgressions. Last week, at the yearly CIO "Fliering and Chalking" meeting, Council handed out the same rules and repeated the same parlance from last year. Pledging to contact CIOs "about any breach of these guidelines" and threatening "removal of status or fines [depending on damage]," one can only wonder if they will venture to do so. Hopefully, in the interest of all students, CIOs will be held accountable for their detrimental actions, thus restoring the value of our University to its potential. But if Council will not regulate fliering for us, the responsibility lies with individuals and CIOs.
The University is simply too beautiful for our students to sit back and watch several irresponsible individuals and CIOs take advantage of it. We are all part of a community of trust, and that trust should extend beyond the classroom to the city we live in. This is a top-rated University because of its excellent students and incredible faculty, and it is unfair and simply stupid to witness silly, preventable influences such as litter and improper fliering degrade our otherwise gorgeous institution. Students should thus play an active role by not only throwing their trash away and following fliering regulations, but cleaning up stray trash and asking fellow students to flier properly when they see otherwise. On one hand, it's impressive that the problems that haunt our University are such small ones, but on the other hand, there's no reason not to go the extra mile to make our Grounds even better.
Sina Kian's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at skian@cavalierdaily.com.
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