WSU professors should adopt fragrance codes
Overwhelming smells can be at best distracting and at worst trigger asthma or allergies in others. Adding a fragrance code to a syllabus can create a better learning environment for all students in the classroom.
Overwhelming smells can be at best distracting and at worst trigger asthma or allergies in others. Adding a fragrance code to a syllabus can create a better learning environment for all students in the classroom.
September 10, 2019
Right here at WSU, fragrances play an important role in boosting Cougs’ confidence. However, respecting limits and boundaries is every Cougar’s responsibility on campus.
The confidence that fragrances give students is important. They’re always one of the most popular cosmetic items in academic environments. Even so, sometimes students tend to go a little overboard. Fancy perfumes are always accepted at WSU, but a heavy amount of these beautiful scents on an individual may cause a serious distraction to other students and professors in a classroom.
Melissa Parkhurst, a music professor who has a fragrance code in all of her classes, said that many students asked for her help when their classmates’ scents were overwhelming.
If you think that these complaining students are overreacting, you are not completely wrong. Their noses might just be different than yours. According to a study done in 2015, around 30 percent of people have some sort of scent sensitivity. To this part of the population, the strong smell is torture.
If you hit the gym and have no time to shower, Parkhurst said it’s understandable to choose a strong perfume. However, covering your natural scent by applying on a stronger scent isn’t a wise decision. The combination of these strong smells can even cause a reverse effect. If you can’t take a shower, how about just changing clothes?
You can wear perfume in public places. However, in an atmosphere where people are close together like an academic environment, a lighter smell is preferable.
Like heavy cosmetic perfume, the “perfume” of alcohol or weed should also be restricted. Parkhurst limits such smells in her classroom to make the learning environment better for all students. Her fragrance code instructs that students don’t come in smelling like either of these substances, and that they don’t come in smelling too heavily of perfume or cologne.
The world celebrates the existence of fragrances, so does WSU. But if our “fragrances” force other classmates to be distracted thinking about what we have entertained or put on ourselves then it’s time to reevaluate our choices.
Tod Merley • Sep 14, 2019 at 3:43 am
The ability of people to detect how strong their own odor actually is for others is limited. But I applaud your effort to get WSU students to practice safe scents.
That said self defense may be a better route. It might help to carry activated charcoal face masks. During times of the year upcoming that may be helpful for your health in general and perhaps the health of others as well.
SARAH SKILLING • Sep 10, 2019 at 4:51 pm
“If you think that these complaining students are overreacting, you are not completely wrong.”
But they ARE wrong. The people who react are sensitive to the smell. They are just reacting. It’s just an overreaction to those who don’t understand how scents affect those people.