Sometimes unspoken rules need to be articulated, or written down for that matter. There are general guidelines to many situations people may find themselves in here at Tufts. How to master the art of staying at Dewick for eight hours, sneaking back into your room Sunday morning before your roommate wakes up, and successfully evading the library staff while sneaking fine dining and exquisite coffee into Tisch are examples. In addition to these "skills," shall we say, is the art of walking around campus.
This daily practice has its own set of principles and course of action. The following suggestions are all exactly that - suggestions. But unless you want to get hit by a bus or walk into a bike rack because you were too busy checking out your stilettos in order to avoid making eye contact with "anonymous-girl-who-lives-on-the-floor-below-me-whose-name-I-still-don't-know," I recommend you take this advice seriously.
It's all about the right hand side. Consider if you were driving down Mass Ave and no one was coming in the opposite direction (not that this is likely, but go with it). Would you drive in the center of the road just for the hell of it? Or maybe you get a kick out of the left hand lane. Either way the consequences of doing so could be serious ... you never know when one of those MBTA buses is going to come flying out of nowhere. Simply put, keep to the right hand side, and it will make dodging the oncoming traffic, your fellow classmates, a bit easier.
Luckily, not all drivers take the right turn off of Boston Ave onto College Ave at 50 mph like the MBTA buses. Believe it or not, there are some sensible people behind the wheel driving around campus. And you annoy them - for good reason, too. Blatantly walking out into the middle of traffic is not really part of the driver-pedestrian understanding. And crying out in disbelief at the fact that you were almost hit is not part of the deal either. So stop asking for a trip to the ER and look both ways before crossing the street. Your parents taught you right.
Even more awkward than a first date with the random kid your roommate set you up with is pretending not to notice the only other person passing by while walking around campus. Your logic of course is look down, avoid eye contact, and continue walking. Although your roommate could conveniently lock herself out of her room just as things slid from bad to worse on your blind date, you cannot really avoid this one (and your roommate probably will not be able to help out either). So instead of gazing intently on some fixed point ahead, or staring directly at your stilettos as they get covered in snow (you should not be wearing them to begin with), look up and give a confident smile. Nine times out of ten your sidewalk companion will smile back.
Ever since iPods became the new deal, people cannot seem to take those "ear buds" out of their ears. Those of us not rockin' out while walking to class have surely had the familiar run in with the zoned out iPod kids. Maybe you were calling across the quad to a friend to say hello or trying to get his attention before he disappeared into Anderson for an unexplainable amount of time; either way you always seem to make a fool out of yourself when he just keeps walking, oblivious and unaware of anything going on around him. But fear not - the trance like state of your buddy is not your problem. Nor should you be embarrassed for an innocent attempt at a cheerful salutation. So for all you who cherish your iPods, turn them off for a moment; you may realize what you have been missing.
So there you have it. Although I cannot assure you that you will meet the man or woman of your dreams just because you smiled at him or her while walking to class, or that a crazed MBTA bus will not plow you over even though you waited for the comforting chirp of the crosswalk, these guidelines will hopefully enlighten and enrich your campus traverses.
Samantha Moland is a sophomore majoring in economics and community health.
