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Let’s face it: College students are gross.

Whether it’s leaving trash in the bathrooms, throwing up in the hallways, or letting garbage overflow, our College has a pandemic of uncleanliness. Besides just being an eyesore, the widespread disregard for cleanliness impacts other students, faculty, and staff whose jobs aren’t simply to clean up our mess.

If Harvard wants to continue as one of the most prestigious institutions, we have to ensure our campus is the best that it can be. In order to see our campus improve, we must all play our part in keeping it clean.

I’ll concede, in the rush of constant meetings, interviews, and classes, it can be difficult to remember the little things. But we often forget the rule we learned as children: “treat others how you want to be treated.” I’d like to amend that phrase to “leave places how you would want to find them.” For instance, if you are shaving in the bathroom, don’t leave a mountain of hair for the next person. Take a few minutes to clean up after yourself.

This task isn’t extraordinary, and it sets a standard for other people to follow when they do the same.

We also have to remember our cleaning staff. They work tirelessly to ensure that our hallways, common spaces, dining hall, gyms, and other communal areas are tidy and clean. We shouldn’t make their lives harder — they too have busy lives and responsibilities, just like us. They are here to make our campus more welcoming to visitors, help us on a daily basis, and improve the environment in which we learn and live.

If we all put a little more effort into keeping our common spaces clean, it would go a long way in making their lives easier.

There are also a number of steps the College should take to encourage students to increase their cleanliness. The University isn’t responsible for holding our hands, but it could help provide a little extra motivation for clean behavior.

With the issue of students putting trash in bathroom cans, this could be simply solved by placing a larger garbage bin on every floor, or every other floor, rather than forcing students to take the elevator or walk down multiple flights of stairs to access trash disposal areas. Further, every bathroom should have a trash can if they do not already.

To address dirty countertops in the bathrooms, the University should consider offering paper towels — preferably compostable for sustainability reasons — for students to clean up after themselves. Some dorm bathrooms do not currently have them. Doing so would allow people to wipe down surface areas and ensure they are clean before the next person uses the common area. Offering cleaning wipes and spray in each bathroom could also be beneficial.

But we also have to recognize that keeping our common spaces clean is a matter of personal responsibility. There is no maid obligated to clean up after you when you make a mess. At the same time, it is important we hold ourselves, our friends, blockmates, and roommates accountable when we see them create clutter. Offer to help them clean it up or give a gentle reminder to change the social norms that are keeping us in the unsanitary status quo. It also builds community.

Harvard is our home — it’s time to start treating it that way.

M. Austen Wyche ’27, an Associate Editorial editor, is an Economics concentrator in Winthrop House.