Spring has sprung and warmer weather is here to stay. Naturally, most students want to get a head start on their beach bodies. While many are hitting the cardio floor at the Strom, others can be found littering every open patch of grass on campus attempting to tan.
And we’re not even talking about the Horseshoe. Students have laid out there enjoying the sunshine for generations, and there’s no need for that to change. However, do you really have to catch some rays on the patch of grass outside the library, the concrete walkway behind West Quad or the band practice field behind Bates?
Consider prospective students and their parents who are touring the campus and alumni who are visiting. They can all surely appreciate our lovely Columbia climate and beautiful, historic campus, but we don’t want them leaving with the impression that our school is one big Baywatch convention.
We fully support people’s desires to better themselves. But there’s an appropriate time and place to be rocking a bikini or awkwardly small board shorts. Relax on the Horseshoe, go to the Strom pools when they open, play some beach volleyball; we’re fine with that. It just looks like you’re desperate for attention when you lay out a towel behind the engineering building. Have some class. You’re not just roasting your body, but your reputation, and the university’s as well.