<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1bywHJ_0vlPTpiY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1bywHJ_0vlPTpiY00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>A cigar resting on one of the plants at the Bluff. Fernanda Vega | Loyolan</figcaption></figure>The Bluff is one of the highlights of our campus. Overlooking almost the entirety of Los Angeles, the scenic spot offers students an escape from the numerous stressors associated with college life and the hardships of the 20-something-year-old experience. However, due to the popularity, the bluff has become a place full of visual pollution.I transferred to LMU last spring, and used to love the Bluff because it reminded me of my hometown, Irvine, Calif. Living in Irvine before LA, I was used to clean sidewalks, healthy trees, bunnies and squirrels running around everywhere. When I walked along the Bluff for the first time, the feeling of it was identical to that safe and clean energy I was surrounded by at home.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1iuSnT_0vlPTpiY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1iuSnT_0vlPTpiY00" width="974" height="489" ><figcaption>Photo via Fizz — Another student describes having uncomfortable encounters on the bluff early in the morning.</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1DhgHh_0vlPTpiY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1DhgHh_0vlPTpiY00" width="972" height="489" ><figcaption>Photo via Fizz — A student recalls an uncomfortable encounter on the Bluff.</figcaption></figure>I started to notice large amounts of trash scattered all over the bluff due to students' mistreatment this semester. I tried to gaslight myself into believing it had always been this way, but a fellow LMU Fizz user called the issue out this past week. Not only do we have an insane amount of trash on the Bluff — the usual cigarette butts, food wrappers, and sometimes vomit — but also waste that poses a bigger health hazard, like used contraceptives hidden in and around the succulents.“I go to the Bluff multiple times a day to either study or smoke, and every day it seems to get dirtier," said Owen Raup, a screenwriting major. "Part of the reason the Bluff is such a sacred place is because of the nature and the view that you have of LA ... and the trash sometimes just overshadows and makes it a kind of a grim and unpleasant place to spend time.”Raup added, "There aren’t a ton of garbage cans along the Bluff, and some people are lazy and selfish. I'm also almost certain that the reason there are so many ants on the Bluff is because of all the garbage and food under the benches.”Although there are trash cans located outside of every building near the Bluff, students seem to be inconsiderate and purely disrespectful. I personally cannot even begin to fathom why students at LMU would participate in sexual relations on the Bluff when there are other considerable options. Though it may sound funny to some of us on Fizz, the action of leaving used condoms out in the Bluff is a very hazardous health issue, no matter how freaky you are.“This one instance, I saw people sitting at the Bluff on the benches and openly participating in sexual activities, right next to the [Sacred Heart Chapel]," said Natalie Castellanos, an entrepreneurship major. "Later, they were standing up and kept up the activity, taking it ... further as they relocated. I think it’s just disrespectful, and there are better spots to participate in such activities — like in private,” said Castellanos. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2PqhrH_0vlPTpiY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2PqhrH_0vlPTpiY00" width="1170" height="1446" ><figcaption>A used contraceptive can be spotted among the sticks on the Bluff grounds. Lila Sepici | Loyolan</figcaption></figure>The sad thing is this issue seems to be a campus joke rather than an actual problem we should address. Instead of making anonymous jokes on Fizz, we could consider calling out our friends to make a real change. On behalf of all of the Bluff bunnies, I strongly encourage all Lions to participate in sexual activities away from the Bluff. In the nicest way possible — get a room. “Though partaking in romantic activities and smoking may not necessarily be super illegal, it makes it hard for people who identify as adversaries to those actions to feel welcomed on the Bluff,” said David Opaleke, a computer science major. “The Bluff encapsulates the LMU experience, in my opinion. With LMU’s location being poised over an elevated position in suburban Westchester, I like to stand on the Bluff and watch over the bright Los Angeles night lights...Trash will never bother me to the point of avoiding a sanctuary like the Bluff, but I am a strong believer of the fact that things could always be better. By creating a culture spearheaded by those at the top, I think the Bluff would be more inviting for everyone.I'd like to think I speak for the majority of us when I say I don’t wish to see sexual residues when I’m trying to have alone time at such a peaceful spot on campus. Just like most of the Bluff visitors, I go to the Bluff to escape the real world — to be present in nature and to clear my mind. It’s where I meditate, write and take time to think — but the ridiculous amount of trash and visual pollution has made that near-impossible.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=46PluG_0vlPTpiY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=46PluG_0vlPTpiY00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Cans and plastic scattered across the Bluff. Fernanda Vega | Loyolan</figcaption></figure>As previously reported by the Loyolan, LMU has a history of cleanliness problems on campus, as well as the extensive struggle of Facilities Management (FM) workers to be paid fair and livable wages — but if we, as students, aren't doing anything to treat our campus better, we're to blame.The pollution problem on the Bluff goes deeper than just the occasional contraceptive on the ground. From thousands of cigarette butts to half-burned cigars, and even bags of empty cans, the student body is genuinely ruining the Bluff. The carelessness of this behavior is not OK, and Fizz bringing attention to this is legitimately a final cry for help. We should all try to be more aware of where our trash goes and what types of activities we partake in at such a gorgeous and blissful part of our campus. Keep the Bluff clean— it's the least we can do in return for all it does for us.This is the opinion of Lila Sepici (26’), a communications major from Irvine, CA. Send comments and feedback to editor@theloyolan.com. Follow @LALoyolan on Instagram, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Get a room — The Bluff is not for the freaky

The Bluff is one of the highlights of our campus. Overlooking almost the entirety of Los Angeles, the scenic spot offers students an escape from the numerous stressors associated with college life and the hardships of the 20-something-year-old experience. However, due to the popularity, the bluff has become a place full of visual pollution.