Courtney Wight ’26

by Courtney Wight ’26 on September 18, 2025

As I enter my final year at Providence College, I hope to leave a mark on this campus and encourage all those at PC to treat our home with care and dignity. Every weekend, I am discouraged and disgusted by the amount of litter left on our campus. Our campus does not magically look this clean all the time. There are hardworking individuals at UG2 who work tirelessly to ensure our campus, including residence halls, academic buildings, and grounds, are spotless.

Students need to start treating all of campus as their own home because for many, including myself, it is home. Over the past few years, this campus has become a home for me as I have found a favorite place to study, my favorite bench to call my parents from, and even my usual table at Ray. Additionally, this campus is not just our home. There are various forms of wildlife who may be harmed by littering, including squirrels, birds, and bunnies.

It is with this in mind that I ask all returning students to remember that freshmen are watching and modeling their actions after yours. Show the new members of the Friar family how we treat our campus by ensuring no litter ends up on the grass or in our plants. There are tons of trash bins throughout campus where students can dispose of their trash. Another option is simply to hold onto it until there is a trash can where you can properly dispose of it. There is no reason to be throwing one’s trash onto the ground. 

Finally, students need to hold each other accountable. If you see another student litter, call them out or pick up the trash and properly throw it away. These actions will show other students, particularly freshmen, that littering is unacceptable on our campus.

Would you litter in your own yard or kitchen at home? No, because most people understand that if they don’t clean up after themselves, someone else ultimately will. Our campus is not people’s personal trash can. PC’s campus is beautiful and is supposed to be a welcoming place, home to not only current students but to future students and alumni. Going forward, I urge my fellow students to start noticing the trash left on campus and improve their own behavior to ensure our campus is clean.