Student Regets Ross Vandalism

Author: [no author name found]

The common perception of vandalism is that people don't think before they smash a pumpkin, destroy a card-swipe machine, or deface the Ross Commons Dining Hall. Yeah, sweet observation Gil. You're such a genius.
But I believe people do think before they act ; they realize the consequences of getting caught, and the punishment that they could receive. The problem is, when people consider the possibility of getting caught, they also know there's a chance that they will not, and thus will not have to face the consequences.
I now must face the obvious disciplinary consequences as a result of vandalizing school property. Yet disciplinary repercussions are just a portion of the negatives that result from vandalism. A tremendous amount of hard work and commitment go into making this school look as nice and function as efficiently as it does, and vandalism can evoke nothing but negative feelings and attitudes.
What should have been foremost on my mind before committing acts of vandalism were the numerous people in my community that I would affect. I would disappoint students, who were forced to wait longer in line to eat at the Ross Commons Dining Hall. I would affect members of the dining hall staff, because they would have to walk in on a Sunday morning to see their own equipment abused and destroyed. I would affect commons deans, faculty, staff and other members of the College community because my actions would give them one more incident to resolve. I would affect students, teammates and coaches whom I consider close friends on this campus.
What is most harmful about acts of vandalism are the people harmed by it. Middlebury offers its students a sense of community, and I would feel safe to assume that a good percentage of students here feel as though it is this familial atmosphere that makes Middlebury College stand out among other colleges.

Gil Kim is a sophomore from Pennsylvania