Faculty of Arts students and the scourge of uncleanliness

Oyedokun Agnes

A scenario:
Kunle had just bought 2 egg rolls and one bottle of Pepsi to eat after his 7am class. He did this because he was unable to have breakfast at his house due to the timing of the lecture.

While Kunle will not stress to walk to the SUB Pepsi stand; Bisi doesn’t mind because the Pepsi at Arts is not cold. Kunle ate at the Quadrangle and Bisi, inside the classroom, but after they finished, they simply left the nylon and plastic bottle where they had eaten: on the slab of the Quadrangle and on the desk of a classroom.

The culture of cleanliness is one Faculty of Arts students have not been able to fully exhibit. What most people do when they get to the quadrangle is to throw their nylons, left-over snacks on the floor and leave but don’t think about the amount of trash and litter they are leaving behind. This can put a lot of strain on cleaners who incessantly try to clean it. Some students complain that there are not enough garbage cans in the faculty, because people walk few steps without noticing a trash can and they will dump their trash on the ground.

The complaints of not having enough trash cans are not correct. At every corner in the faculty up to the top most floors, there are waste bins provided for the dumping of trash, however, people choose not to walk by and throw their trash away.

Why Cleanliness?

Cleanliness is an excellent habit that everyone should develop in order to maintain a healthy environment and live a healthy lifestyle. With the number of students, staff members, and visitors going back and forth through the faculty and the lecture rooms, they are highly susceptible to daily wear and tear. It’s essential to abide by the “rules of cleanliness” that can keep the faculty clean. Maintaining a well-maintained faculty is vital for student’s health and learning and also to keep the positive image of AFAS. If everyone behaved like Kunle and Bisi when they could have thrown the plastic bottles and nylons into the nearest trash bins, the quadrangle would have been too bad for people to sit to discuss, let alone walk through.

Habits can shape the personality of a person, also many characteristics of the person are emulated from its behavior and the things they do. So, when you decide to leave your plastic bottle and nylon on the slab today, same as tomorrow, you form the habit that indirectly or directly shape your personality.

Regarding quality education for you, as a student, campus cleanliness is a key contributing factor. A well maintained faculty is vital for students as it offers the ideal learning environment to them. A messy environment distracts us and can also impact our health by allowing the spread of germs adding the stress of being sick to our learning. By keeping the faculty clean we are helping create a positive learning environment for ourselves.

Cleanliness is also paramount when it comes to cutting down on the spread of diseases in the faculty and means we get to enjoy a comfortable learning environment. It also improves hygiene levels and can help to reduce the spread of sickness.

The responsibility of keeping our school clean belongs to everyone, not just the cleaning staff. To facilitate this, we encourage specific steps. It is imperative for students to use several trash bins placed in the lecture rooms and around the quadrangle to deposit papers or uneaten food items or any form of trash at all.