More smiling, less scrolling
I’ve got a problem. I seem to really struggle with smiling. One day while walking to campus, I decided to take a step outside of my generally sealed-tight comfort zone to try smiling at the strangers I passed. People were listening to music or staring at their phone screen or just intent on watching their feet move up and down. It didn’t take long for me to realize I was being completely ignored. Obviously this was a miniscule sample of BYU students; nevertheless, it left me thinking: why are we so quick to pass out smiley-faces over the phone and so slow to offer them in reality? Are we so wrapped up in our own heads and our own issues that we can’t be aware of the strangers passing by us on the sidewalk? We should care about how we act while walking from class to class, and more than that, we need to make a change. Being mentally present and socially accessible are two qualities that our self-inflicted distractions have all but stripped us of. Let’s put our phones away, let’s stick our earbuds in our pocket, let’s look up from our shoes. Let’s smile at each other.
Studies consistently show the trend between social media and technology use and the decline in self-worth and overall happiness. Instagram and Twitter and Snapchat and Facebook and all these little icons littering our home screens appeal to our sociality. They were constructed to make us available, accessible, approachable. Doesn’t that seem ironic? Our phones were meant to open us up to the world, but it seems like all they’ve done is close us off. Imagine how different our walk through campus would be if we took better advantage of what these apps mimic—real life and real interaction with real, tangible humans. According to a 2015 global mobile consumer survey released by Deloitte, the average American looks at their phone 46 times in a single day. See if you can make it 45. That one glance at your phone traded for a smile at someone passing could make all the difference.
Whether it’s sitting by a stranger at lunch or just smiling at one person as you walk to class, set that goal. There is no better time to make yourself into the person you want to be than today. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a little kinder, a little more thoughtful, and a little more open; hopefully you feel the same. A moment spent looking outside yourself and serving someone else is a moment better spent than scrolling through your feed, humming to a song, or just staring at your feet. The next time you pass me on campus, I expect to see you smile.
Quinn Griffin
American Fork, Utah
Campus concerns
The Testing Center closing at 7 p.m. on Mondays is ridiculous. … Most of the time, FHEs are held later in the evening anyway, and taking away three hours of testing availability is unfair to students juggling testing overlap. For example, I am going to have to skip one of my classes in order to make a testing deadline because the STEM career fair and several tests have all coincided this week.
I get that people want to go to FHE, but there are other jobs on campus that require people to have to work on Sundays. Surely if it is okay to have someone work in the Cannon Center on the Sabbath, it is allowable for a testing center employee to miss FHE once in a while.
Joey Bloxham
New Braunfels, Texas
I was overwhelmed by the overt commercialization of academia today as I walked through the place formerly known as the BYU Bookstore. This used to be a place of refuge … where students could find sweet treats, books to expand the mind, and a small collection of kitsch. Now, students are met with depressing chrome and metallic tones, overpriced gear none of us will actually buy, and not a book in sight. This clearly expresses what’s at the heart of a BYU education any more: financial loyalty to a loosing football team.
Vanessa Oler
Houston, Texas
Some of us need reminding about the dress and grooming standards at BYU. It appears that leggings are in fashion right now, but did you know that they are against the honor code? The honor code states that “clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless, strapless, backless, or revealing; has slits above the knee; or is form fitting.” According to this, leggings, jeggings, yoga pants, etc. are against the honor code. Just thought we all could use a gentle reminder.
David O. Draper
Professor of Exercise Sciences
Lots of students at BYU use the microwaves and depend on them for food, but there are few microwaves and lots of them are broken. Would it be possible to add or replace more microwaves? This would promote healthier and less expensive eating habits. To save space we could even stack the microwaves! And why are so many microwaveable foods in the vending machines, but there is almost no way to cook them?
Adam Lund
Provo, Utah
