Living in a college residence hall is a rite of passage for many. It’s most students’ first time living away from home. With this newfound freedom, some college students tend to go a little crazy, leaving cleanliness and consideration by the wayside.

When entering a college residence hall, one expects a certain degree of clutter. When you cram two people in a tiny cube, it’s something you can’t avoid. Also, when 30 people are sharing one bathroom, there is going to be some hair in the drain. It’s just expected.

Even so, the cleanliness of some residence halls and individual rooms can be alarming. Students should take pride in where they live, not treat it like a trash dump.

If you come back at 4 a.m. on a Friday and are feeling a little queasy, you should probably head to a toilet or wastebasket instead of puking out of the 4th floor window of your room, leaving a cascade of vomit for some unfortunate maintenance worker.

It’s one thing if you and your roommate agree to live in filth, but at least be kind enough to quarantine your mess. Don’t allow it to leak into the communal areas of your floor. No one wants to see—or smell—it.

For those residents who think they don’t have to clean up after themselves because the university pays workers to do it, you are morons. Maintenance workers have more than enough to keep them busy without having to clean your leftover noodles out of the sink.

When you are sharing a home with so many other people, it’s important to be considerate of others. You should not only keep the residence halls clean for yourself, but for all the other students living there.

It’s as simple as picking up trash when you see it in the hallway or rinsing out the sink after you brush your teeth. Do your part to keep your community clean. You should feel comfortable knowing that you can take pride in where you live.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent State editorial board.