Another fall semester is grinding away. We are already through a month of the 16 weeks and the bewildered faces still linger around the campus. There seems to be record numbers for the 153-acre main campus that the cramped construction walkways alone cannot account for.

Let us examine some of what is happening: the amount of warm bodies packing seats, the addition of late-start classes, a high-decibel rumble of voices emanating from the cafeteria during peak munching hour. Unlike most semesters where the numbers decline around the one-month mark, this seems to be the new normal.

These are all indicative signs that BC is growing. It is growing administratively right alongside the addition of adjunct and new professors, and more importantly it is growing in students.

It is in this growth that students are dealing the most damage, and losing sight of the true purpose this college is supposed to serve. BC is a steppingstone to higher education, and the pursuit of the rest of your life.

What is so disarming and detrimental to the campus is the sheer number of slack-jawed undergrads cramming up the gears that produce tangible academic results.

It is nearly impossible for a dedicated student to wade through vast numbers of people who do not take their education seriously.

This situation creates a host of problems not only for committed students but also for faculty.

There are those that seek only to reap some benefit from a financial aid loophole by enrolling in a class and dropping it hastily to receive compensation, thereby causing students who actually need the class to end up waitlisted or out-of-luck. There are those who merely take an easy class to be unburdened by their familial obligations from a parental or significant figure creating similar problems for students who want to be there. There are those who waste instructor time with shenanigans aplenty.

These are students without the zeal to pursue academics at its fullest. It has become increasingly difficult to muster the willpower to drudge through these students’ lack of effort. Attending this school does require social interaction, however, it should not be your place to socialize.

While BC’s website says that it serves 15,000 students on the main campus, cappex.com (a college evaluation and scholarship website) puts BC at approximately 19,000 students with around 6,000 full-time students and 13,326 part-time students. BC is a “part-time” college even for those who do take academia seriously, however, purely numbers does hint at the fact that there are many more non-serious “part-timers.” Numbers alone cannot paint the entire picture; use your observations to witness what is transpiring to the future of BC.

If you aren’t willing to show the same level of commitment as other students, at least show some respect.

Do not hinder the growth and completion of a necessary component to someone’s goals and dreams.