Let me start this off by saying the chancellor of our university is a very important man and he deserves the highest level of respect we can give him.

However, why is it necessary to give Daniels Hall a fresh coat of paint the morning before he is scheduled to visit? I understand things need to be spruced up when guests come over, but I’m sure he won’t be offended if there are a few smudges on the wall. It’s a classroom, not a museum.

I was sitting in class Monday morning when some University employees came in and said they had to paint the walls of the classroom because the chancellor was coming to visit that evening. As I walked out of the classroom after class ended, I saw them painting the hallway and sweeping the stairwell. I can’t be entirely sure, but I would bet they even waxed the floors.

Chancellor Woodson, if you are reading this now, I hope you realize the University is putting a veil of freshly painted walls over your eyes to make it seem like our classrooms are better than they are. It’s all just a song and dance. I only hope, for your sake, that they were able to cover up the musty smell that reminds me of homeless people and the jet engine-like drone of the air conditioning vent that I have to endure for 50 minutes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.

There are many more classrooms around campus that could use a facelift, too-not just the one in Daniels. Does the chancellor ever get invited to them? Probably not because it doesn’t seem like they get much attention.

I’ve had to sit in too many classrooms that are unfit for learning-and quite frankly, unfit for much of anything except for fueling a bonfire. For example, I had a class last semester in the big lecture hall in Williams Hall. One day, we had a test while it was raining outside. I don’t know if you have ever been in that classroom, but the ceiling leaks in a few places. It was not a fun experience being dripped on while trying to focus on taking an exam.

The concept of making things better to impress special guests extends beyond the classroom.

Over the summer, I lived in student housing in Owen Hall for the first summer session. We ran out of soap in the bathroom after about the second week, and it wasn’t refilled until new residents and their parents came to move in. Coincidence? I think not. University Housing just wanted to impress the parents, because as soon as that soap ran out, it wasn’t replenished for the remainder of my time there.

The same thing happened with University Dining during Parents and Families Weekend in the fall. Previously, the tables were rarely wiped, but for some reason that weekend, several employees were wiping tables and straightening up chairs in the dining room.

I have to ask: Where is my song and dance? Why don’t buildings get a facelift whenever I walk through the doors? If anything, the University should be rolling out the red carpet for all students and faculty, not just the chancellor.

If we want to attract the best-of-the-best students and faculty, then we need to be the best-of-the-best all the time-not just when a special guest might be visiting.

After all, we are all deserving of a song and a dance because we are the most important assets the University has.