We have all heard the piercing voice of our teachers during chaotic labs yelling ‘Where are your goggles!?’ —followed by the collective groan that ensues, “We are just boiling water!”
Still, just because it’s “only boiling water” doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. If we do not take safety seriously when the stakes are low, how can we expect ourselves to be serious when the stakes are high?
Lab safety is about proving yourself to your teacher. If your teacher cannot trust you to conduct simple labs, they will not allow you to perform riskier procedures involving various chemicals or open flames.
Unfortunately, when students ignore basic safety measures and allow the lab to become unsafe, the consequences can be severe.
Shaun Devine ‘26 said, “In my biology class, there was a kid who tried to grab an open flame…He almost got third-degree burns, and in the process, got the whole lab shut down. He ruined it for all of us.”
This impulsive action risked the student’s safety and spoilt a valuable educational lesson for everyone.
This incident is not merely a safety issue: it reflects a lack of accountability from students here at Loyola. Society relies on members who adhere to the rules while actively guiding others down the correct path; however, the end goal is to create an environment that encourages accountability, one in which students have integrity.
When asked about the repercussions of misbehaving in the lab, physics and chemistry teacher Andrew Uy said, “It is the law… what we’re trying to teach you guys is what we want you to do in real life, and if you’re not going to be safe in school, you’re not going to be safe outside.”
At the end of the day, there are consequences. Many times, students behave as if they are invincible, convinced that the disasters we hear about on the news cannot happen to us.
No one is perfect, but what matters is trying our best to follow the instructions and listening when our teachers give us a friendly or not-so-friendly warning.
So if a fellow cub doesn’t listen to the teacher? It is your job to hold them accountable. After all, we are supposed to be “Men for and with Others”.
