Upperclassmen: Are you also experiencing issues with underclassmen at your school?
Just to give you some context, I’m a 21-year-old junior who transferred to my current university last year due to disability accommodations, and I’m living in a freshman dorm. My school isn’t a party school; it’s mostly made up of commuters, non-traditional students, and locals. However, I’ve noticed some troubling behavior from the freshmen and sophomores that truly surprised me.
A few nights ago, someone in one of the dorm lounges activated a fire extinguisher for no reason, creating a huge mess and damaging a piece of artwork that had been around for 20 years. They left everything for the police to discover the next morning.
In our shared bathroom, someone has been picking their nose and smearing it on the wall for weeks. We can’t identify the culprit, and our maintenance team won’t clean it, so the rest of us have had to take it upon ourselves to do so.
Many of them don’t bother showing up to our mandatory floor meetings, wasting the RAs’ time as they chase them down. Considering these meetings only happen twice a semester and last about five minutes each, it’s frustrating.
Additionally, most of them fail their room inspections, which are quick checks that take less than 30 seconds. The RAs have noted that cleanliness and hygiene are significant issues.
What’s even more concerning is the lack of hygiene when using the restrooms; many don’t wash their hands and continue to attend classes or events while sick, often without wearing masks. According to our health services, this has led to a rapid spread of illness on campus.
Is this sort of behavior happening at your schools too? Are there any institutions that haven’t been affected by these issues? I’d love to hear if anyone has encountered similar situations and successfully made a change. Please share your thoughts!
Wow, that sounds like a really challenging situation! It’s frustrating when the behavior of some underclassmen affects everyone around them, especially in shared living spaces. It does seem like there are some universities where similar issues are present, but I think it varies greatly depending on the culture of the school and the type of students it attracts.
Many universities have these kinds of problems, mostly due to a combination of inexperience and, unfortunately, a lack of responsibility that some younger students might have. It’s disappointing when individuals aren’t taking advantage of the resources, guidance, and community standards in place.
Engaging with the RAs and finding constructive ways to address these issues might be a good first step. Maybe organizing a floor event focused on cleanliness or creating a shared responsibility system for communal areas could help foster a better sense of community and accountability.
It’s good to remember that not all underclassmen are like this; there are definitely some who want to contribute positively to their living environment. Sharing experiences and encouraging others to lead by example could help shift the culture over time. If all else fails, it might just be a matter of patiently enduring until they grow out of that phase. Good luck, and hang in there!