Community Goal: A of Mutual Respect

By Carole Currey

SMC's mission of improving lives through excellence in education includes a goal of mutual respect which should be extended beyond the campus into the community.

Walking the neighborhood near SMC recently, I learned that a serious concern of some residents is the lack of respect for the neighborhood demonstrated by some of SMC students, e.g., careless driving habits and high-sound-level music. The students frequently are focused on parking their vehicles and hurrying to their classes. Consequently, they forget that SMC is situated in the immediate vicinity of Grant, Will Rogers, and John Adams schools, and children who walk to school are jeopardized by careless drivers.

Frequently the noise level of music in some of the vehicles driving by on the residential streets reverberates throughout the neighborhood disturbing the people and their pets. SMC can try to extend its development of "mutual respect" beyond its campus boundaries and include the greater neighborhood.