Service workers are pretty essential to our college experience. They are necessary for our facilities to be safe, clean, and functional. They take out our trash, clean our bathrooms (anyone who has ever been in a dorm bathroom knows what a rough job that is), make and serve our food, and do so many other important jobs for which they are rarely thanked.

It’s easy for college students to ignore these workers. We have important classes, time consuming clubs, friends to make, and futures to worry about. What’s more, it’s hard to converse and interact with people whom you barely know, particularly people who you may not feel like you have much in common with. I understand this. And I understand that many people have social anxiety or are painfully shy.

But it’s still important to find some way to thank the people without whom we could not be having these college experiences.

Smile. Wave. Thank people when they do something for you, even if it’s something as small as waving you in when you flash your ID. Wish people a nice day. If you see the same worker regularly, try to learn their name and some of their story. On top of being simply polite, you will have enriched both of your lives. But most importantly: CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DAMN SELVES. Seriously.

People seem to think that they can leave trash next to the trash cans, do frankly disturbing things to the bathrooms, and generally treat our communal spaces like a pig sty. Not only is this disrespectful to your fellow students, but the onus of the clean up ends up on the shoulders of the cleaning staff who are not getting paid enough to deal with (sometimes literally) your shit.

You are adults. Act like it. Be better. Be decent people.