On Sept. 12, the campus community received an email from Vice President for Student Development, Susan Gabert, reminding all Anselmians to treat Father Bernard Court (Uppers) with care and respect.
Four weeks into the semester, it is a typical pattern for Uppers to be littered with cans, broken glass, and even corn come Sunday mornings. In her email, Gabert alluded to incidents of “large gatherings in the courtyard and surrounding areas of FBC and disrespect for professional staff, the residents of this area, and a lack of care for the space.”
However, despite reports depicting such carelessness, FBC residents and members of the Class of 2025 have remained responsive to requests to care for the space.
Respect the Nest, a club dedicated to campus sustainability and responsibility, has continued its weekly tradition of Sunday campus clean-ups to assist with the accumulation of cans.
Respect the Nest President Christine Landry ‘25 reflected positively on the turnout for these clean-ups, sharing that “we have been so impressed and thankful for the seniors that are helping us out. We have seen an uptick this year in the amount of FBC residents eager to pick up and keep their space clean. Two weeks ago, we had a Sunday morning cleanup. The night before had been pretty messy, but by the time we got up there, many seniors had taken the initiative upon themselves to clean up after their peers. They made our job so much easier and it’s great to see more and more people keeping campus clean.”
FBC RAs shared the same sentiment, saying that “we have seen some seniors taking initiative and keeping the space around their own townhouse clean which has been super nice,” encouraging all Uppers residents to do the same.
When asked if the trash accumulation this semester is worse than in years past, both Respect the Nest president Christine Landry and FBC RA’s feel as though the trash accumulation has been similar to years past. According to Landry, “Overall, we have been seeing the same amount of trash as years past. Uppers gets very messy on Saturday nights, especially this time of year when most of the parties are outside.”
Even if the trash accumulation is typical for this season, students and RA staff are actively brainstorming ways to maintain a clean FBC. Last week, Residence Life sponsored an event in Uppers where students could provide insights on keeping FBC clean. Student suggestions involved more recycling cans, mandatory Sunday clean-up days, and a limit on glass bottles.
Respect the Nest warns against glass bottles, “not only is it dangerous for our club members, but it’s also dangerous for anyone walking around Uppers and especially people who walk their dogs in the area!” Landry advised.
Overall, students should remain mindful that while Uppers is a fun gathering space, it is also a place of residence for many students and must be treated with respect. The Resident Assistants of FBC shared that they “just want the people in Uppers to take accountability for their own spaces and the people that they invite into their homes.”
It is important to acknowledge that non-FBC residents are a significant, if not a major, part of this culture. A resident assistant emphasized this, sharing that “my advice to residents would be more for the ones that do not live in uppers. If they would be more mindful about how they treat the space it would solve a lot of issues. Simply making sure their trash makes it into the dumpster instead of in someone else’s yard would go such a long way.”
It is clear that despite accumulations of trash and crowds on the weekends, seniors and upperclassmen living in FBC have been generally respectful to RA staff and their shared space.
“As RAs, our number one goal is trying to help the seniors have the best and safest last year they can. We really want people to have fun, we just want the space that has been graciously given to us for the year to be treated with respect so that everyone can enjoy it, whether that be visitors walking through or people hanging out on the weekends,” a Resident Assistant concluded.