RACHEL GRESHAM | staff writer
With little other choice, I am often forced against my will to face itchy, sweaty and sometimes painful confinement. More commonly known as socks and close-toed shoes.
Many SoCal students prefer to avoid this reality and simply go barefoot. On sunny, warm days, one glance around campus provides at least a handful of barefoot students within sight. It’s simply become a part of the APU norm.
A regular bare-footer claims that it is simply more comfortable to not wear shoes when the weather permits.
“It’s not something I analyze when I wake up, I just walk out the door,” junior political science major Kaitlin McGarvey said.
McGarvey usually gives away her shoes to people in need when she visits other countries and currently only owns three pairs of shoes: knit slippers, flip-flops, and boots.
“Shoes have no relevance in my life. There are bigger things in life to be concerned about than whether your shoes match your outfit,” McGarvey said.
Other people refute shoes with a purpose. TOMS shoes puts on events asking students to go barefoot for the day to experience what many of the poverty stricken children around the world experience daily.
The potential risks of this otherwise convenient practice include the obvious threat of stepping on a rusty nail along with the possibility of acquiring tetanus, or the less obvious athlete’s foot from wet grass.
Moist grass poses the largest danger because bacteria thrives in wet places. It only takes a minor cut to allow bacteria to develop.
The hot surface of asphalt may scorch your feet, or expose you to glass shards.
Personally I would avoid walking into those situations, but otherwise the risks are minimal. I am still waiting to hear about a death caused by walking barefoot.
While it’s mostly fun and games to walk around outside without shoes, entering the dining hall or Heritage Court barefoot is unacceptable in compliance with health codes.
The law clearly states that for sanitary and safety/liability issues customers must wear shoes in food-serving establishments. Almost all restaurants have the sign: No shoes, no shirt, no service. (This always makes me question what would happen if I had no pants).
“The image of the dining hall is very important, but the bottom line is a liability issue. If someone gets hurt then the school will have to pay for it,” Director of Hospitality Services Samuel Samaan said.
According to health Professor Brian Willmer it is not a big concern for students to come to class barefoot as long as other students do not become uncomfortable. If someone is concerned about hygiene or doesn’t want to be exposed to foot fungus, than that should be respected. He shared that while he was in school, one fellow at Berkeley decided to stop wearing clothes.
Now that would be a little extreme.
Even when I do wear shoes to class, I often take them off so they don’t distract me during lectures. Tucked away inside a normal pair of shoes, my feet cannot breathe.
They need air and freedom! I am often scoffed at for having black feet, but for me it is worth the comfort.
Around campus, the cement is clean, and no glass liters the ground, creating an environment ripe with elements conducive for the naked foot.
While we live in the bubble, it may be that it is more convenient to leave shoes behind, but will this trend continue in the real world?
If you are going to go barefoot here, than you should also be willing to go barefoot in public. No shame exists in exploring the natural side of life.
God created us without shoes on our feet, why shouldn’t we live happily without them?
Next time the perfect sunny day rolls along, go ahead, dare to take the risk, cast your shoes aside and walk around barefoot.
Enjoy the freedom the foot feels, but don’t forget to pack a pair of flip-flops in your bag so you can still enjoy a personal pizza at Heritage.
