As I write this article, I’m facing my second night and 40th hour without sleep.
This is all thanks to my wonderful neighbors in a second-floor room in New Hall who insist on keeping me up with their incessant, ear-rattling chatter and laughter.
Students who live in dormitories should be respectful of their neighbors.
Students living in apartments or rent houses should respect their neighbors too, but a dorm’s paper-thin walls make this a touchier subject.
It’s no surprise that the concrete blocks and flimsy Sheetrock that divide dorm rooms aren’t exactly soundproof.
After hearing the obscene language of at least eight to 10 people in the room next door, I wasn’t going to personally visit their room for fear of never leaving it again.
Instead, I pounded on our dividing wall every time they were too loud for my liking.
My neighbors greeted me with a knock in response, followed by a healthy dose of laughter.
I called the residential assistant on duty.
At 1:38 a.m., it was clear that the RA didn’t want to deal with the situation any more than I did, but a few minutes later, a knock on my neighbors’ door resounded through the halls, and the room quieted.
After the RA left, it took approximately four seconds for them to start back again, cussing among themselves about the person who was smacking on their walls to try to quiet them down. That was me. I was the wall-smacker.
I was close to calling UCAPD when my roommate arrived and calmed me down before I had a nervous breakdown. That was last night. Tonight, they’re at it again.
As mature, late teenaged and 20-something people, it should be obvious that keeping the noise level to a
minimum in a dormitory or similar building is the polite thing to do.
For those who don’t know, let this be a wake-up call.
Students can’t expect other residents of their buildings to have the same schedule as they do, so residents should be respectful of their neighbors’ rights to rest or work in a peaceful environment.
Though one student may not have a class until 3 p.m. on Fridays, that student’s next-door neighbor may have an 8 a.m. class, homework and a full day of work ahead of them the next day.
If students are in a situation where their activities are loud enough to disturb their neighbors, they should move the party.
If loud music or television shows are an absolute necessity, the popularity of earbuds and headphones solve that problem.
A visit to the ear, nose and throat doctor could also fix the problem if it persists.
With the rapidly warming weather and many college students living in houses, there are plenty of options where loud activities could be held without bothering students in dorms, apartments or duplexes.
There are also plenty of events around campus that allow students to get out of the dorm room, meet new people and have a fun, loud time without disturbing the residents of their dorm or apartment building.
As another option, those who are busy partying and having a loud time in the dorm rooms could also work on the never-ending amount of work that seems to shroud students in a cloud of stress and deadlines.
Surely there’s an assignment to complete, a chapter to read or a test to study for rather than keeping others from doing the same.
To my neighbors, I’m glad you’re having a nice time in college, but please keep the noise level down, move your parties elsewhere or check out some of the fun activities around campus. I have newspaper articles to write.
