“Walking out the front doors of the student recreation center one would think there are three choices. They are, go straight towards the Student Union, right towards the Memorial Hall bridge or left towards what will be Summa Field. Apparently some people believe they have a fourth option-going through the grass toward the commuter parking lot.”
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Walking out the front doors of the student recreation center one would think there are three choices.

They are, go straight towards the Student Union, right towards the Memorial Hall bridge or left towards what will be Summa Field.

Apparently some people believe they have a fourth option-going through the grass toward the commuter parking lot. They must find it hard to walk an additional 20 feet around the landscape to avoid defacing the grounds.

The areas behind Bierce Library are no different. A similar group of students have made an even larger walkway through one of the most peaceful places on campus. This place is were the pillars and the outdoor amphitheater are, near the Arts and Science building.

Eventually the path meets the sidewalk. For those who are doing business in Olin Hall they continue across the pavement, again trampling trough the grass entering the entrance of Olin Hall.

Not to be outdone by either group, the collective membership of North Quad has developed what is quickly becoming a two lane super highway with traffic going both ways.

The destination is the Auburn Engineering Center and students have discovered the shortest route.

The only problem is this route cuts through the beautiful landscape of the quad.

This must be the case for the other two examples, but when time is saved and corners are cut there is often something that goes unnoticed.

In our case what was once beautiful campus green space has been turned into a site for sore eyes. More so, it’s brought out a latent brown color the spreads to the surrounding walkways.

This dirty situation is more than an issue of people being lazy: it also shows a lack of pride in the university as a whole, and an utter lack of consideration. .

As students it’s time we begin walk a little more circumspect. Surely people can get to class quicker by parading though the grass at the last minute, but the effects of such actions have a far greater impact.

Not only do people that destroy the grass take away the aesthetic appeal of the campus, they also cost the university thousands of dollars in repairs to maintain an already expensive backdrop.

While their exist a global push to go green, those of who take notice realize what brown can do to sicken a place many of us call home.

It is time to go the extra mile by walking a few additional steps. It’s time to stop cutting corners. As Barack Obama continually said, the time for change is now!

Change is not always easy and it does not come without concentrated effort, yet next time you want to cut corners or blaze trails, stop and consider.

We should all have pride in our surroundings, let’s keep it that way.

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