With the addition of 25 students to each incoming class, it seems that the commons just keeps getting messier. At the end of every lunch a disarray of dirty plates, spilled cups and all types of substances on the floor litter the commons. Despite the nostalgic and yummy allure of cereal mornings on Fridays, Branson faces formidable challenges in reviving this tradition.
Student Senate began its effort to address the commons situation November 2023. After countless meetings, a solution was proposed: the incentive system. There would be a public board posted in the commons with incentives to help motivate students to keep clean. Each incentive was released in increments. Just to name a few: 10 days for muffins, 50 for an ice cream machine and 70 for the return of cereal.
However, a question now looms: Can the incentive system inspire a positive change? Or will a punitive system become inevitable to address the growing concerns of the Branson commons?
“We wanted to introduce this new system for two reasons,” said Logan Tusher ‘24, student body co-president. “The first is to help with the issue that our commons is always pretty messy. So the idea was that people start cleaning up after themselves. The second reason was to get back some of the things that we had last year, like muffins and cereal, that students really enjoyed.”
On Dec. 20, after two weeks of keeping the commons clean, Branson earned back muffins on Wednesdays. However, amidst the small victory lingered an unsettling truth: The same people who contributed to the mess were now reaping the rewards, while others labored away to continue cleaning up after them.
Despite the initial optimism around the incentive system, its effectiveness in promoting cleanliness in the commons has fallen short of its goal.
As the dream of cereal mornings at Branson becomes an increasingly unlikely future, the need for a more effective solution becomes apparent. The hope for positive change must be grounded in a system that not only encourages responsibility but also ensures accountability. The current trajectory, marked by a widening gap between effort and reward, demands a reevaluation of the incentive system’s role in improving commons’ cleanliness.
“We understand that, since we lost our streak, hitting the 70-day mark is completely unrealistic, so we will be readjusting the benchmarks within the next week to make the goal more attainable,” said Tusher.
Students had high hopes for the incentive system — dangle some muffins in front of them, and suddenly, everyone is cleaning up after themselves. We’re all knee-deep in cereal dreams, but reality keeps slapping us in the face.
The truth? The incentive system is like a rusty old car trying to run on fumes — it’s just not getting us anywhere. Unless we ditch the crumbs and get serious about tackling the mess, our breakfast aspirations are toast. It’s time for a wake-up call and some serious brainstorming about why our cereal mornings are stuck in snooze mode. Until then, muffins are all we have — a bittersweet reminder of the cereal mornings that remain just out of reach.
