For a student body that considers itself the coolest in the Ivy League, we sure have a warped idea of what is "cool." Ever since we can remember, Brown students have been head-butting, karate chopping, punching or finding some other way to break the exit signs that hang in dorms around campus. It's now considered somewhat of a school tradition - it would be an oddity to see more than two exit signs hanging intact in Keeney Quadrangle by the end of the weekend. At the risk of making the sign-breakers even more infamous, we want to draw attention to this issue. As students ourselves, we have a message for these culprits: You are immature, what you are doing is inconsiderate and we condemn your actions unreservedly.
A particularly bad weekend last month in which 57 signs were destroyed in Keeney alone prompted an email from the Office of Residential Life to all on-campus residents, threatening a damage fee if the destruction persisted. As people who have never touched an exit sign in our lives - except maybe to pick up shattered pieces and place them deferentially against the wall - we were initially indignant at being reprimanded. After all, the vast majority of Brown students are respectful and mature and would never dream of causing such useless destruction. But what is ResLife supposed to do to combat this issue, in lieu of issuing a general warning? Though The Herald reported that exit sign violence decreased after the email was sent ("U. threatens fees after weekend vandalism in Keeney," Oct. 4), we believe the most effective way to eliminate this despicable practice is for it to cease to be considered cool. That is the job of the student community, and that is why we are denouncing the ridiculous exit sign tradition and entreating other students to do the same.
To start, exit signs that are vandalized by students must be replaced - and that costs money. Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life and dining services, recently told The Herald that the University spends more than $30,000 on exit signs per year. That's more than the price of one semester's tuition. Money that could be put toward renovating classrooms or hiring new faculty is being spent correcting these damages.
Furthermore, breaking exit signs makes absolutely no sense. Taking furniture from common rooms, though we absolutely do not endorse it, is at least understandable - students want comfortable furniture with which to decorate their dorm rooms without buying it themselves. But breaking exit signs? This type of vandalism has no purpose, except perhaps to vent anger or to impress your friends. Moreover, people who break exit signs nearly always leave them for Facilities Management (or their Residential Counselors) to clean up. By breaking exit signs, students are merely making trouble for others for their own amusement, which is even more deplorable.
Brown, we are better than this. We are adults. We are mature. We are educated. We will be voting in the upcoming election to determine the next president. But the practice of breaking exit signs does not reflect this - it is something a fourth-grader would do. The next time you are standing in a dorm hallway, contemplating breaking an exit sign, we beg you to reconsider. Because when you really think about it - or even if you just think about it for a second - smashing exit signs is just about the stupidest thing you could do with your time. Whether you're in a drunken stupor, looking to impress upperclassmen friends or feeling aggressive, there are other things you can do instead. Act your age, and think about someone other than yourself - you've been giving all of us a bad name.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
