When I first read Gray West’s letter to the editor Friday whining about how his institution of higher education doesn’t offer a maid service, I desperately hoped it was a joke. But just in case it’s not, perhaps Mr. West would profit from a little slice of perspective. Heavy sarcasm and disdain may be present.
Hiring a maid service to clean up after students is unnecessary, a waste of resources and detrimental. Just because you don’t take enough pride in your room to keep it decent, doesn’t mean the rest of the student body doesn’t. When I visit other dorms, I’m not stepping on pizza slices, and it doesn’t reek of stale college student, but maybe that’s just my experience. If rooms aren’t clean, I hear my friends speak of plans to clean and purge over the weekend. Yes, that’s purge, not binge. Some people like to spend weekends in a productive manner. In fact, I keep my room exceptionally clean, and have had people ask to live with me because of it. Yesterday, I came across what I thought would be a useless piece of trivia: Prince William and Kate Middleton have refused a butler for their new home after they marry. If the British royal family can dare survive without a cleaning service, certainly you can too.
How do you propose the University pays for this maid service, might I ask? It seems like an expensive reward for being an honors student, getting a league of servicemen at your beck and call to come pick up after you. (That’s right, Mr. West is specifically directing this extravagant service to honors students, not regular people.) Tuition is plenty high, but that’s of no concern, right? Every student wants this! They’ll be happy to fork over a few pennies for a citrus-scented room! How could they possibly live without it? Life is hard enough without having to wash your dishes too, am I right? The University doesn’t need a broader span of language professors, or building renovations, or any of that nonsense. What it needs are happy students. They don’t call this the Me Generation for nothing!
Jesting partially aside, hiring a maid service would do exponentially more harm than good. Even if it is frequently used, even if it is of little cost, the University would be trading messy rooms for mindless, dependent, inept students with a tad more free time to “study.” College is a place of higher learning, and not just in the classroom. You are here to grow mentally and socially, to better yourself, to enrich your life and gain priceless skills. Being able to rent-a-maid only makes students too lazy and complacent to clean up their own mess additionally dependent on a superfluous program that picks up where their mother left off. Learn how to do your own laundry (if you haven’t already, geez), pick up your clothes, wash your dishes, and buy your food. These are basic skills needed for every day survival. Are you going to hire a maid and personal assistant when you graduate? I don’t think so, so why should you get one now?
If you can’t be bothered to care about the state of your own living quarters, why should the University? Don’t you think they have better things to do? This is a school, not a five-star vacation spot. Capstone Maids is a preposterous idea for a wasteful, selfish service no student truly needs. Cut the apron strings already. Grow up and be an adult, and take responsibility for yourself. Mr. West, you made your bed, so lie in it.
Jessica Bailey is a junior majoring in studio art.
