On a daily basis, you see the student population of Baker University going to class, walking around campus or enjoying the day; however, you will rarely see students stepping off the sidewalks.

Nowhere on campus is there a sign that says, “Don’t step on the grass,” but students seem to assume that stepping off those sidewalks is a strict taboo.

The normal human being also does not make 90-degree angle turns. Even though the sidewalks may go past your destination before they turn back, that doesn’t mean you have to walk all the way to the intersection before you make your way to a building.

Is it possible that students have forgotten the math lesson from fourth grade that tells us the shortest distance from point A to point B is a straight line? For many students that was around 10 years ago.

The first day of classes back in August, I was walking straight through the grass, and when I realized no one else was, I felt guilty. I should not be feeling guilty for taking the fastest route through campus.

There is one place on campus that people are not scared to cross over, and that is because so many people have crossed at that location that there is a faded pathway into the grass. It is located between Owens and Collins library and is the quickest way between the two locations by far. 

When there is snow on the ground, it is much easier to see the lesser-traveled areas because they keep completely clean the whole winter. I started taking every chance I got to walk somewhere new because I was tired of seeing untouched snow.

Yes, we may want to keep the grass healthy, but you are not strictly bound to the confines of the sidewalks. The squirrels don’t bite, there is no grass security, and most people probably won’t even notice.

So go ahead, live on the edge. Take that one fateful step onto the grass and get to class a little faster. I promise you, it will not hurt.