There are obvious subjects that Respect Life Week addresses, but there are also not-so-obvious topics that this week should bring to light. As students, we are surrounded every day by people older than we are – our professors, our advisers, school administrators and staff and even local community members such as business owners and land lords. Students almost maintain a certain level of respect and act responsibly when in the presence of these adults.

However, it seems that sometimes older people do not feel the need to behave the same around us. Some adults, albeit a small portion, actually look down upon students acting, acting in a condescending and disrespectful manner towards us.

Not adults are like this, but a small percentage makes all the difference. When an older adult talks down to a younger adult, such as a student it has an impact. Whether we like to admit it or not, such treatment can make us feel less important as people – as if we don’t matter quite as much.

The worst thing is that even though it is a small minority of adults who feel they have the right to do this, it still happens very frequently – the landlord who only gets things done if your father calls and asks for issues to be addressed, despite that fact that you and your roommates have called repeatedly; the woman in the grocery store who sneers at you in your Villanova sweatshirt and shopping cart full of microwave dinners; the business owner who thinks he knows all just because he is older; even the occasional faculty member who talks down to students.

The average Villanova student is respectful, friendly and courteous. We are all well-educated and intelligent people who deserve as much respect as anyone else. For this reason, there are very few reasons that would call for adults to treat us with disdain or disrespect.

In the spirit of Respect Life Week, it is important to remember that respecting life does not only apply to the unborn, those on death-row, the sick and the elderly. It is those around us, walking through campus, at the grocery store, on the train, of all ages and from all backgrounds.