The University of Guelph is a nice place to be
University towns usually get a bad rap because university students are often portrayed as unrepentant vandals. Allegedly, we drink, we smoke, we fight, we hold opinions that are demonstrably inequitable, and we make bold claims without considering the lack of evidence to support them.
If television, film, music, and literature have anything to say on the subject, every single university student is a powderkeg waiting to be set off by freedoms, hormones, alcohol, and stresses present throughout the university experience.
The city of Guelph, however, is not a community defined by its proximity to a university. Instead, it is a community that defines its university.
Students from larger cities might frown upon the fact that most of the city’s nightlife is condensed into a small area. Students from larger communities might scoff at the alleged lack of culture. Indeed, students from larger places-of-origin might find it cute that so much of Guelph’s culture is defined by its agricultural origins.
Make no mistake, however: Guelph’s culture is defined by its people. The city of Guelph offers students an opportunity often absent from larger institutions and larger communities. In short, Guelph offers its citizens the rare opportunity to actively make a difference in a constantly changing and constantly growing community.
Therefore, respect, politeness, and good manners go much farther than one might assume.
Respect the bus drivers—they’re the difference between making it to class and missing half your midterm
Guelph Transit has its rough moments. There’s a strong possibility that students will, at some point, encounter the dreaded “Sorry, bus full” during their time at Guelph.
Due to the size of the university’s student body—and because students tend to cluster around key bus routes—bus drivers are more than transit employees. They’re saviours in blue and black uniforms descended from the heavens to make it easier to get around the city.
Respecting bus drivers begins with a simple understanding of power dynamics. The university might very well subsidize the Guelph Transit bus pass, but it’s a privilege far more than a necessity. In the past, disrespect and a misunderstanding of the relationship between the University of Guelph and Guelph Transit brought the entire undergraduate student community mere minutes away from permanently losing the university bus pass. It was only thanks to Guelph Transit being an understanding partner—and the outcry of thousands of students—that the relationship was salvaged.
Smile at your bus driver. Say “Hello,” or “Good morning.” Make a point of saying “Thank you” when you disembark. Shout “Thank you” from the back of the bus if you must.
It might not seem like much, but at the very least, it’s a way to recognize the hard work it takes to get people to where they need to be.
Now that we’re on the subject, respect all service industry workers
The University operates like a well-oiled machine because its gears and levers are cranked by the hardworking hands of a core group of staff who often spend their time behind the scenes.
Custodial staff that take care of residences, groundskeepers that ensure that the university’s natural beauty is well-maintained, line cooks at Gryph’s, server staff at every campus eatery, dishwashers, laundry workers, painters, builders, and laser-focused IT workers make sure that every aspect of the university experience lives up to expectations.
Sometimes, service will be slow. Sometimes, lines will be long. Sometimes, a plate will be returned with a minor blemish. These, however, are mistakes that will always occur, simply due to basic human error. They’re certainly not reasons to launch into a tirade denouncing the entire capitalist charade.
Students might be stressful beings, but one can only imagine how stressful it must be for those individuals whose soles jobs it is to ensure that every powderkeg doesn’t simultaneously explode at any given moment.
“Good morning,” “Good evening,” “How are you?” and “Thank you” go a long way.
For the love of all things decent, respect each other
Defending and defining university etiquette, much like the fight against forest fires, is a battle that begins on an individual level. University is an opportunity to open one’s eyes to a world of possibility outside the realm of one’s imagination. This means dialing down the epithets and the oppression, and keeping an open mind.
The world doesn’t begin and end with the one—it begins and ends with the many. Respecting your fellow students means being open to new ideas—to not shrugging in the face of someone defending their way of life.
Most importantly, engaging with the university begins with respecting the values it attempts to instill in all of its students.
For those students wondering precisely what kind of behaviour defines oppression, resources like the Guelph Resource Centre for Gender Empowerment and Diversity (GRCGED), the Aboriginal Resource Centre (ARC), the Central Student Association (CSA), and the Diversity and Human Rights office (DHR) are more than willing to take time to break down the basics.
Of course, sometimes, it’s really just a matter of holding open a door.