Where is your locker?
Seniors who went to their orientation a week before the first day of school had the option to sign a piece of paper to request a campus locker. Now, a month later, some seniors are left wondering where their requested locker is, including me. Lockers are an important necessity for some, especially for seniors who need a safe and close place to store their heavy textbooks, materials and athletic gear.
Paloma Mendo ‘24 said, “At orientation, I did sign up for a locker, but I didn’t get one [on the] first day. After two weeks, I once again went to request a locker and had to wait another two weeks. [The lady at the office] said she would reach out to me, but three weeks went by and she never ended up reaching out. I told my mother that if she went to go ask for me, the office lady would for sure give me one. The following day, my mother went to go ask and the office lady gave me one. Honestly, I think freshmen don’t even need a locker.”
I asked Rosa Santos, who works in the office for student and facility services, about the senior locker situation. Santos said, “If you have ROP (Regional Occupational Program), are an athlete, or if you have to go to work and you have a change of outfit and you need somewhere to store it, we can get you a locker.”
She said, “ Unfortunately, we do not have enough lockers for everyone.”
There may be a question of whether seniors really need a locker, given that many already own a vehicle that can easily store away their equipment, making there seemingly be no need for a locker at all. However, a new problem arises: the restrictions to the student lot. Last year, there were many issues when it came to entering the student lot during school hours and even during breaks such as nutrition and lunch at the beginning of the second semester, when many students’ off-campus passes had suddenly expired. Last year’s numerous restrictions on access to the student lot during school hours already made it an unreliable place to store the school belongings you’re going to need to use in class for the day. Also, it’s just super far away and you need to hand over some identification to be allowed into the lot, so it’s just an overall hassle.
I’ll admit that the campus lockers aren’t the prettiest or fanciest lockers out there, not even close. However, we take the lockers, , or at least the good, open and closable ones, for granted. I never really used my locker that much in my freshman and sophomore years, but as my workload got larger and my backpack became heavier, it has been nice to have a place to keep my hefty stuff that is accessible and available when I need it, in a location that isn’t considered “off-campus” by the administration.
