In an interview with The Knight, which can be found on Page 1 of this issue, the Most Rev. Lawrence Persico, bishop of the diocese of Erie, mentioned that he was taken aback by Gannon University students’ behavior on his visit to the campus a few weeks ago.

He said it was because he didn’t feel acknowledged as a human being when he was walking around campus; he smiled and said hello to students, and they turned away. They didn’t even thank him for holding a door open.

This doesn’t concern us, or him, particularly because he is the bishop, or because he is the chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees. It’s a concern because he is a person who was trying to connect with students on campus, but they – we – let him down.

As a student body, we should be ashamed that this was someone’s experience on campus.

Regardless of our personal religious beliefs, common courtesy is a fundamental value that all Gannon students should uphold.

A smile can make all the difference in someone’s day, whether he’s someone important like the bishop, or just a random guy walking around campus. You never know who you might be running into.

What if that had been a potential employer, or someone you might need a favor from down the line?

Is it really hard to smile back at someone, or say thank you when a door is held open for you?

We’ll never know who the students were that the bishop passed on his visit, and it doesn’t really matter.

But take the time to think about what you would have done, if it had been you. Would you have spared a smile for a cordial stranger?

Next time you venture down A.J.’s Way, smile at the people you see.

Say thank you when someone holds the door for you.

Be a decent person, worthy of calling yourself a Gannon student. It can make all the difference.