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Let me begin by saying that this article is long overdue. I apologize for the tardiness but the message I am about to convey is in need of serious attention as it affects the daily lives of many students on campus. I do not mean to attack people directly in this article, but I aim to share an opinion, held by many, in the Whitworth community that Saga is not the place to be loud.
Picture yourself on a “good” day. You wake up and the sun is out. You are feeling good about your classes and about how you did on yesterday’s test. Lunchtime rolls around for you and so you decide to head to Saga because a) you are hungry, and b) you heard that they are serving quesadillas, three styles of lasagna and Sodexo’s best: orange chicken. You and your friends find a place to sit and begin having a pleasant conversation about the sun and your weekend plans of hiking and going to nearby coffee shops when out of nowhere someone yells goodbye to their friend across the entire dining hall.
What are you feeling?
Although you may have thought it was funny or shrugged it off the first few times, what about when it happens for every lunch and every dinner you innocently attend in Saga? And remember, that was you on a “good” day; imagine yourself on a snowy day or after you found out you failed your test – now how do you feel? The part of this scenario that is most compelling is the reality of the experience: you don’t have to imagine it – you experience it almost every day and every meal. There is simply no need for any of this noise: it is annoying, it is unnecessary, and it does nothing but put everyone else’s conversations on hold so that the loud people can be annoying. News flash: it’s not all about you.
Students and faculty and touring visitors come to eat in Saga to get a taste of Whitworth, enjoy the company of their friends, and get a quick, uninterrupted bite to eat and head to the next stressful class or test. Saga is meant to be a peaceful community within the Whitworth community that calls for an average volume of noise, respect for the needs and wants of others and not obnoxious noise or yelling across the cafeteria. Yelling and laughing loudly is ridiculous and only seeks personal attention that makes everyone negatively view those being loud.
For those of you reading this who are the loud ones, please stop. Have you ever taken into account the idea that others want to enjoy their conversations without you always yelling or drawing attention to yourself? There are places all around campus for being loud. The Loop or anywhere outside is a wonderful place to test your vocals and be obnoxious to unknowing passersby. Anywhere off campus works well too. Even your room or the Back 40 is a wonderful place for loud handshakes and laughing until you run out of breath. Once again, please stop. You are respected as a person and as an individual but Saga is not the place for you as a loud person to exercise the extent to how loud you can be.
Contact Ein Huie at dhuie19@my.whitworth.edu