Dear Temple students,
I am one of you, but I cannot speak for all of us. Our school claims that we are good neighbors, and that is true for some of us, but certainly not all of us. I have talked to a lot of my peers, and they have often said that they find a lot of the SAC workers, security guards, and locals rude. Can you really blame them though?
Think of it this way, there are people raising families right off of Temple's campus, and we keep them up at all strange hours of the night because of our lifestyles. I will say, that if I were a parent and my children had trouble sleeping the night before because a group of college students refused to turn the volume down, I wouldn't be friendly either.
As a whole, I don't think a lot of us comprehend that this an area where a lot of people live in poverty, yet us college students are living in the same type of houses and apartments, fully furnished with our parents paying the bills. Understandably so, it is frustrating for people living in this area, supporting a family, and working numerous jobs to see us college students without a care in the world.
Being asked for money is a daily occurrence, whether it is by school children or homeless adults. Instead of scoffing and wondering why they have the audacity to ask you for money, ask how you can help. Whether it might be an extra water bottle in your bag or even a gift card in your wallet, give if you can.
As far as the workers, if you wonder why they might be hostile towards you, then you need to reevaluate the way you treat others. If you're on your phone, not paying them any mind while you're checking out, they will probably perceive you as an entitled college kid. Ask them how they are, tell them you appreciate them. They work tirelessly all day and are often ignored.
Think of the security guards working the night shift, how many times have you said thank you to them? Have you ever asked them if you could get them a coffee or a soda? Have you considered that they work all night and probably have another job to go to in the morning?
To those of you who complain about the people making your coffee and always messing up your order, could you let it go? So what if they gave you almond milk instead of soy? Unless you're allergic, you should drink it and go about your day. These people are here to make a living, not be your servant. Have you ever thought about leaving a few dollars in their tip jar instead of pretentiously tossing the dime you don't want in there?
You are an adult, you were accepted to this school for a reason, meaning you should be smart enough to know how to treat people with decency. As a whole, we need to work on being a community. We are so divided and hostile, which is wrong on so many levels. We have so much room for improvement, and we can only improve if we choose to recognize the problems we cause.
