By KIMBERLY MICHELS
Some students looked longingly at the harvest orange soup but did not dare take the first bite.
At a campus etiquette dinner, students seemed the picture of proper etiquette. White cloth napkins rested on their laps and many breathed the phrases “thank you” and “please” in every sentence they uttered.
Now, compare this scene to dinnertime at the Cannon Center. The remnants of a saucy barbecue dinner may marinate in a collapsed dish of ice cream on students’ platters. When students remember to say “thank you,” they often mumble.
However, proper etiquette should be demonstrated beyond etiquette dinners. Here are a few reminders:
Eat Up and Clean Up
Generally, students are not dining on five-course meals. However, proper etiquette still applies. No matter where you are, no one wants a public display of your chewed food.
Perhaps more rude than lolling leftovers in your mouth while talking is using your roommates like servants. You are in charge of cleaning up after yourself. If your roommates find remnants of half-eaten meals, the clean-up may not inspire fond feelings.
Walking Between Classes
When the bell rings, a herd of students begin their migration across campus. To be polite, remember to swim downstream.
Katie May, a sophomore from Sacramento, Calif., said the students who stop in the middle of pathways frustrate her.
“It’s so obnoxious because I am trying to get to class and I only have 10 minutes to get from the JKB to the JSB,” May said. “I get frustrated when others stop right in front of me with no warning.”
Facebook During Class
Do not distract your neighbors or professor by snickering over a text or shooting angry birds at chunky pigs.
“It is embarrassing to professors,” said Robert Freeman, a professor in Church History and Doctrine. Freeman said professors often notice students checking their emails or watching clips during class.
“What I’m teaching, what I’m talking about, is it so much less important than the most recent highlight from yesterday’s game?” Freeman said.
Save It for Date Night
The lovebirds that coo to each other during class should be warned: they are not making friends with students around them. To be polite, wait for date night.
Thank You
The phrases “please” and “thank you” add delicacy and refinement to life. Simply be polite by being kind.
