By Beacon Editorial Board
No drinking on campus. Prior approval before posting signs. No vehicles on campus for freshmen. The University has a lot of rules that, as many students may find, stifle the proverbial cocoon shedding that most students do while attending college.
UP's stickler rules, whether students understand their warrant or not, have melded together to create a bubble around UP.
This "UP Bubble," as most students know by now is the campus-encompassing shield that blocks away the evils of the world that get in the way of the UP's strife for teaching, faith and service.
Yet, despite its bad rep as a buzz-killing, idea-limiting, over-conservative and cautious aura that envelopes the University, the UP Bubble, in all its glory, is actually a pretty great aspect to life on The Bluff.
The University can proudly announce that it resides in one of the safest neighborhoods in the Rose City. One of the reasons our community is so safe is because the long arms of UP faculty, staff and administration hug the surrounding neighborhood, thanks to the University's Employee Home Purchase Grant that allows UP faculty and staff to set up camp near UP.
Yet even with Purple Pride keeping our neighborhood safe, it's time that we, as independent, parental supervision-free college students, take heed to what our University parents are telling us: Be cautious and look ahead.
Take your stereo system out of your car at night - and lock that baby up while you're at it. Don't go running at night; or if you do, run with a friend (Preferably one who is slower than you?). When walking to parties, make sure you're with friends and for goodness sake make sure you're sober enough to remember how you got home the next day. It's far too easy for the bad guys of the real world to take advantage of the vulnerable guys and gals.
Be aware of your surroundings: Willamette Boulevard is a beautiful street but Lombard Street, its brother half a mile away, is about as similar in character as Scar is to Mufasa.
The ugliest portrait of the city is painted with drugs, gang violence and homelessness. The best picture highlights Portland's budding roses, budding philanthropy and budding eco-friendliness. In our bubble, we get the pretty pictures. Outside the bubble, we are exposed to the ugly portrait.
Rather than be afraid of the ugly portrait, as students, we have the responsibility to acknowledge it, understand it, and work to make the ugly better. With our educations we can paint Portland with new colors. Political science majors can use their pencils to stencil out reformative ideas. Social justice majors can fill in the colors of homelessness with an optimistic color. Communication studies and business majors can provide a colorful mouthpiece and revenue source for implementing changes.
Nursing majors can provide a robust splash of health for the city while engineer majors can create and build the easel and canvas that the rest of us paint upon.
Yes, outside of the UP Bubble, danger lurks in the darkest, dankest, drabbest of places. Be cautious of these dangers now and look ahead to the future when we are able to paint a new picture on the face of Portland.
