The undergraduate student directory, or stalker guide, is a nightmare inducing publication. It prints the name, home address, phone number and on-campus address of nearly every UR student. Admittedly, the stalker guide is useful to me when I am stalking or, rather, if I am stalking. It is also alarming to me, however, that an exorbitant amount of people who probably lack the ability to follow societal norms have my school number, home address, and full name. Although UR generally has an inability to follow logic, the stalker guide, also known as the evil blue student directory, exceeds UR’s precedence of illogical policies.
The endangerment of my family life is perhaps the most fear inciting. I enjoy having the separate parental and collegiate realms of existence. The little blue book threatens that very privilege. Any acquaintance could freely call my home, perhaps even requesting I return to our dear Rochester because the parties are not the same without me. Well, that very suggestion could shake the foundation of my parental realm. In paying tuition that increases 5 percent annually, privacy should be covered.
Besides, if any member of the UR community deeply burns to contact me, I would imagine a simple e-mail address would suffice. The stalker guide simply facilitates parental-UR community bonding, which, aside from the rapidly approaching Meliora Weekend, is an unnecessary bond.
Let’s also not forget that the little blue book diminishes any prayer of dishonest conduct necessary to surviving life. No longer, with the little blue book, can one simply give a fake number out at a party to the creepy guy. With the little blue book, the creepy guy can now find your number as well as your address. If your mother happens to be as good looking as you, creepy guy could now also find her. This seems to just be laying the blueprints for a generic Halloween sequel movie.
Few humans enjoy the stalking experience, and the little blue book seems a strong enforcement of the Peeping Tom urge. I, as a UR community member, oppose the evil little book which could end my normal private familial experience. The little blue book threatens even the ordinary vacation. Vacations have a purpose – removal from past environment. The stalker guide allows the vacation purpose to easily be cast aside for the sake of someone’s need for communication. In reality, any individual who needs to contact another individual that strongly will have some previous means of communication. Bottom line – I don’t want the freaky people out there having my number.
Tanner can be reached at rtanner@campustimes.org.
