What on earth would I have to complain about if Baker didn’t give me any reasons?

I’m sure I’d find something. But unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever know.

At least once a week for the entire year, I walk out of my campus apartment to what often seems like a war zone.

Beer cans, cigarette butts and bags of trash are the norm. Currently, I can walk outside and see any of these plus a rotting apple and a plate covered in nacho cheese.

This trash is piled on top of the fact that some of my neighbors, the same ones who I assume leave the trash, throw loud parties until all hours of the night.

The combination of lack of sleep and climbing around trash in the mornings leaves my roommates and me pretty annoyed.

I’ve said many times how much I wish someone would do something about the normal piles of trash around the apartments.

However, a fine for me and my roommates wasn’t quite what I had in mind.

My having to possibly pay a $50 fine for the trash that I shouldn’t have to look at in the first place is just another Baker complaint to add to my list.

Mass fines may look good in theory. It should keep everyone from breaking the rules and is an incentive to keep students from being too lazy to walk to the nearest trashcan to throw away their uneaten apples.

Unfortunately, for some of my classmates, a $50 fine is worth not walking an extra 10 feet.

When you fine a majority who comply with the rules because of the few who can’t, it’s no longer a form of punishment, and turns into those students paying for someone else’s mess-ups.

Not only that, but it just feels like another way for Baker to suck out every penny it can from students.

While a lot of trash is out there, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t take $50 from each resident, or $4,800, to clean it up.

Not only that, but the students who regularly drop off trash in common areas learn they don’t have to pick up after themselves or take responsibility for their actions and someone else will help pay to clean it up.

In all honesty, these are lessons you shouldn’t have to teach 20-year-olds. 

The student handbook, as well as the notice on my door Monday morning, talks about responsibility and respect.

I can’t count the number of students who have complained about not being able to live in their apartments over breaks, including myself.

My argument has been that I’m 21 years old, an adult and that I shouldn’t be treated like a freshman living in a residence hall.

Thinking about it now, however how can you blame them for overlooking this?

We throw parties like we’ve never been to one before. We can’t clean up after ourselves. We’re too lazy to take responsibility for piles of trash we leave around.

Why should we be treated like adults?

From now on, if you’re walking around campus, don’t just throw things on the ground.

You don’t have to walk far to find a trashcan.

If you throw a party, clean up your mess or make sure your guests do the same.

If you can’t do that much, then you can pay the fines.