I love Amherst. I love Amherst not only because it is the best place for an undergraduate education, but also because of its active students, faculty and staff. As a pre-frosh, I remember being shocked at how exceptionally friendly everyone was compared to those from other schools. They were more than willing to help me navigate my way around the campus and answered all my tedious pre-frosh questions. I inevitably fell in love with the Amherst community, and aspired to be a part of it. Upon my letter of acceptance, I easily made the right decision to enroll.

A typical Amherst student, faculty or staff member is to me someone who wants to make a difference and change the world. He or she is a leader who simply cares about his or her environment. So it came as no surprise to me when Val decided to have a trayless day. I personally thought it was a great idea and reflective of how innovative Amherst is. I saw the flyers counting down to Sept. 29 and was secretly excited to see the results. Would going trayless really dramatically change our use of chemicals and decrease food waste? How much water and energy would we reduce just by going tray-less? I was eager to see the results and excited that we were taking measures to change our system.

Apparently, some of my peers weren’t as excited. When Sept. 29 rolled around, I was surprised to see so many people were “rebelling.” Word got around campus that some people were stealing trays the day beforehand. People were unnecessarily making messes, throwing food around the table and purposely leaving their plates and utensils on the tables. The Val workers had to come around and clean up after them. I was actually embarrassed for the students who were making such a commotion. It isn’t fair to the Val workers to have to clean up after us. It simply isn’t their job. We are all mature adults and I was disappointed to see the reaction of the student body that I had so admired.

What upsets me most is the fact that it was just a one-day trial. It wasn’t as if Val was taking away our trays forever. And even if it were, it isn’t as if it is selfishly taking away our trays for its own benefit. If Val takes away the trays, it is for the benefit of everyone. It was disappointing to see such a strong fuss from the student body over such a simple task — going trayless for three meals.

And it wasn’t until I was writing this article that a new thought dawned upon me. Perhaps the fact that so many people have various different opinions of trayless day is what makes Amherst, well, Amherst. Though I was disappointed in the actions of some students, I have to remember that, that is just my personal opinion. And though I may think that going trayless was an exciting and innovative idea, another student may, for rational reasons, think it was a waste of time and effort. Amherst is composed of a diverse group of people with different opinions for a reason. If we were to all think the same, what would be the purpose of college? So in the end, I learned exactly what I had already known. Amherst students are active members of society, each with different opinions and ideas to share with the world.