Picture this: you’re on your way to class. You’re carrying a heavy backpack, maybe a drink from DeLight’s, when all of a sudden, a huddled group of students starts walking towards you. Surely they’re going to move into a single-file line to create room for you, right? Oh no, they’re getting closer. You need to decide to either shoulder bump them or walk into the muddy grass.
This should not be a choice students have to make, but it’s a decision I am forced to confront multiple times a day, every day.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to be comfortable taking up space. One of the ways I have been working towards this goal is by not moving out of someone’s way when they are walking towards me in a horde of friends. I always do the polite thing when I am walking with a group. If I see people coming towards me, I form a single-file line, and almost everyone else in my inner circle offers the same courtesy. Why can’t other people do the same?
It’s not that hard, and frankly, it’s rude. I can maybe excuse it if you are looking at your phone, but still, you should be aware of your surroundings. What I have a problem with is the fact that more often than not, when I am walking on the sidewalk and see a group of people approaching me, they’ll make direct eye contact with me and still not move.
What? How petty is that? I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but as human beings, there should be a certain level of respect given to your fellow Greyhounds.
If you are walking on the sidewalk and a group of people is coming towards you, make room. It really isn’t that hard; it’s the same motion as walking. Just scooch behind or in front of your friends and walk like you are in elementary school, going out to recess. If I have to start handing out those ropes with the handles I see Kindergarten students use to behave, I will.
I didn’t think this would be such an issue, and to be completely honest, it only started last year. In my freshman and sophomore years, everyone had the common courtesy to make space for other students.
I don’t know if the demolition of the HUB unleashed an ancient curse that made everyone unaware of their surroundings, but this seriously needs to stop. I feel like I’m not asking for much here. If you want to walk side by side with your friends, go for it! All I am asking is that if other people are using the sidewalk, be mindful.
Don’t force people to step out of the way for you. I hate to burst your bubble, but you’re not better than anyone else here. Don’t make someone ruin their shoes by stepping onto the wet, muddy grass. Heck, even if it’s as dry as the Sahara, I still should not have to choose between walking in the dirt or shoulder-checking another person because God forbid I wanted to use the sidewalk.
The last thing I will say is pick your head up, walk in a single-file line (it takes two seconds), and carry on with your day. If you couldn’t already tell, it pisses me off when people have such a disregard for others around them. It doesn’t matter what graduating class you are in, or what organization you’re involved in, you aren’t king of the sidewalk, so please just move.
