Courtesy is a topic that needs to be addressed at VSU. An important issue that seems to be lacking courtesy is keeping appointments at the Student Health Center. We know almost everyone has made a doctor appointment at some point in their lives. And although sometimes people have a legitimate excuse to miss  an appointment, it’s not okay to simply never call to let them know you’re not coming in. We can’t all assume the secretaries at the front desk know exactly what we have going on in our lives. Assuming is never a good thing.
 If you don’t inform the doctors before you will miss an appointment, then you could be holding someone back who really needs to see a doctor. It’s hard to get an appointment at Farber, trust us. Try calling on a Thursday morning. You won’t get to see an actual doctor until the next week.   Even when you see the nurse on call, you still have to sit there for at least an hour or more. However, if you called and cancelled your appointment at least 24 hours ahead of time, then you could be helping someone else use that time.
 All it really takes is 2 minutes to cancel an appointment. Since everyone’s constantly attached to their phones anyway, it shouldn’t be a huge problem to simply dial the Student Health Center (we’ll even give you the number- 229-333-5886) and let them know. Trust us; you’ll be making someone else’s life easier in the end.
 With the Student Health Center’s encouragement, SGA has been considering adding a $15 fee for those who miss their appointments. We feel that this is fair. This is exactly how it would be in the real world.
 Everyone’s been there before. You make an appointment because you’re sick. You magically feel better the next day; ironically, it is the day of your appointment. So, you clearly decide not to go. And while kind students might call to cancel because they know how hard it is to get an appointment, most probably won’t think twice about it and will never call, thinking that it doesn’t really matter either way.
 We know we all have it in our hearts to be respectful towards one another. While some might feel it’s silly to complain about cancelling doctor’s appointments, what it all really comes down to is courtesy.
  The next time you’re extremely sick but can’t get an appointment at Farber, think about this; you might have been able to get in the day you called had it not been for that rude individual that missed their scheduled time, didn’t call ahead of time, and doesn’t care.    

  This editorial was written by Jenn Faulconer (jafaulconer@valdosta.edu) and it expresses the opinion of the entire editorial staff.