The Night Owls go out every weekend helping to make sure campus is safe, but at the end of the night, Reedies help Reedies all the time—often without any thanks or acknowledgment. We all have a responsibility to take care of each other, to build a safe community, and to teach each new generation of Reedies to do the same. We created the Honor Chronicles to establish a space for Reedies to tell their stories of Honor, and to show future generations of Reedies what Honor looks like today. We want to thank you for making our campus safer, our community closer, and our lives better.
Whether you spend your weekends in the library, in the SU, or in your dorm, the tradition of honor is alive and well. This is what we want to showcase, the everyday of the Honor Principle.
Share your stories by visiting http://tinyurl.com/honor4all and you will receive a $5 Paradox gift card if your story is published!
I was in one of the gender-neutral bathrooms downstairs in the GCC. Something very upsetting had just happened, and I was sitting on the floor of a stall, crying. A stranger came in to the bathroom to wash their hands—before leaving, they paused and said, “I don’t mean to intrude, I just need to make sure you’re okay.” I said that I was, and they left, but just saying that one thing made me feel safer, and cared for.
A Reedie had been carrying a full six pack of beer back on to campus, but had somehow ended up smashing all the broken bits of the glass bottles on the sidewalk in the high traffic area. Rather than leaving it there to be found by peoples’ shoes and feet in the dark, they immediately started trying to pick up the sharp pieces using the light from their iPhone, and the few of us around helped in the effort to clean up the hazardous mess. Broken glass and spilled beer are no fun, but it was satisfying to see about five previously unassociated people were willing to stop smoking their cigarettes, take a detour before heading to the party, and walk over to help clean up a pretty bad mess together.
I was having a great night drinking with some friends. We had just left a party off campus and were walking back, but as we walked by an entrance to the canyon, I got a sudden urge to go and lie down by the water. Without telling my companions about this, I stumbled down the stairs towards the water. Soon enough I realized one of my friends noticed and followed me. They shared some water and quiet moments with me by the water before helping me to get back to my dorm room.
I was stranded late at night with an expired bus pass, and a fellow Reedie gave me a safe ride home.After HumPlay, I was hanging out with an underclassmen friend. We
had both been drinking but they had been drinking significantly more than me. We were about to go to an off-campus party with some of my upperclassmen friends. As we were leaving though, my underclassmen friend started to get really disoriented, not knowing who we were with or where we were. I decided that a party was not a good idea and took them back to their dorm room. They were still really disoriented after several hours of drinking water and since I didn’t want to leave them alone I, once sober, took them to my house so we could both get some rest.
I was sprinting across Eliot circle to make it to class on time. Someone saw this and waited for me to cover the entire distance just to hold open the door! After that I was all smiles all the way up the top floor of Eliot.
I was at a party when I noticed my friend lying down and not interacting with people. I asked them how they were doing and they said “not so good.” They had yolo’d all the way past shitfaced and into not-quite-functional territory. I stayed with them for the next hour or so, with a phone alarm to remind me to verbally check in every six minutes or so. If they had stopped responding I would have summoned the CSOs, but it never came to that. The host came down to check on us, and continued to do so regularly for the rest of the night. The host offered snacks and companionship and anything else in their power to help my friend have a less awful time. My friend’s evening included many visits to the bathroom to vomit, but eventually the double vision subsided and they told me they wanted to go home. I walked them home to their dorm room and tucked them in, making sure they had a full water bottle next to their bed.
In one of my classes, there is one kid who always holds the door open for everyone to pass. There are like nine people in the class, and even if someone is an awkwardly long distance away, he still keeps the door open. It can be a thankless job, but he is always there to help people out.
Whenever my boyfriend and I drink, we constantly remind each other to drink water. It’s become this cute little thing I love, because we’re taking care of each other.
I was sitting with a group on the quad lawn when someone pulled out a cig to light up. But she paused first, and asked everyone there if it was okay for her to smoke. We all said yes, but it was really great that she first wanted to check in, so we could have an opportunity to say, “I have asthma” or “I have an allergy to smoke.”
There you have it folks, you are great and caring and there for each other. Don’t forget it.
-Your Night Owls