Colleen Murphy
comurphy2@ursinus.edu
Let’s be honest, four years is a very long time to co-exist with the same group of people. With Ursinus’ requirement for students to live on campus for the duration of their education, it can be a little bit tricky to navigate how exactly we are meant to live together.
Residence Life has launched a new campaign for the ’19-20 school year titled “It’s On Me,” which strives to explain how high of a priority it is that students understand the meaning of being not only a good neighbor, but a great one.
At the beginning of the semester, Alyssa Caffarelli, Assistant Director of Residence Life, sent out a campus-wide email announcing the launch of the “It’s On Me” campaign. The email explains that “It’s On Me” focuses on the promotion of healthy living spaces, meaning that the residence halls are clean, friendly, and supportive. It encourages students to focus on the little things, such as asking how your roommate’s day was, picking up trash in the bathroom, and checking in on the condition of all of your neighbors. Residence Life strives to make the lives of all students comfortable and pleasant, and that means educating everyone on how to synchronize in a helpful and sympathetic way.
The resident advisors across campus have gotten involved with spreading the importance of the new campaign. New Hall RA Julia Gilpin says, “‘It’s On Me’ is a great way for all students in our community to take responsibility and hold each other accountable when fostering a safe environment. Everyone needs to be accountable to step in to hard situations and conversations among peers, even if that is very hard for them. The main point behind the “It’s On Me” campaign is to enable students to stop being bystanders. So many lives could be bettered or saved if someone just had the courage to intervene in hard situations. Essentially we want to encourage everyone to have a say, and step up during a challenging situation.”
The entering class of 2023 has a total of 439 students, making it one of the largest in Ursinus history, meaning that it is a significant priority that there are extensive resources available about learning to live with one another.
With so many different backgrounds being represented at the college, the campaign stresses how important it is for all students to be respectful, look out for each other, and listen to your neighbors.
So, amongst your extensive studying for this week, maybe pick up a piece of trash in your hall, say hello to someone on the stairwell, and smile at someone you have not met before. After all, “It’s On Me,” but really, it is on all of us.