I have walked down the hallways of Uni a countless number of times, racing to my first-period classes or strolling around during lunch. I’m familiar with the signs that are posted on the walls, the signs that make this place uniquely Uni.

I have encountered everything from the frequent bake-sale posters to the occasional warnings that urge students to clean up the kitchen sinks.

I personally like seeing these signs as I pass through the hallways each day. They’re interesting to look at and many are quite informative. How else am I supposed to know about lice in the lounge or MRSA at Kenney Gym? If all the signs were to be taken down, the hallway would lose its warm, friendly feel.

However, lately there seems to be a new type of poster appearing among the colorful ice cream sale notices and other conventional signs.

When I walked into the building last Friday, a small group of people had gathered around the new signs taped on the wall by the Mac lab. Usually people don’t actually take the time to carefully look at posters, so I was curious to see what was so interesting.

To my surprise, these were not your typical Uni High signs. No, in fact, these were meth posters.

There were a total of three posters; two were brown, inconspicuous pieces of paper with random facts about meth and quotes from meth users. However, the third one was deeply disturbing.

On it was a realistic picture of a girl’s arm, except her arm had missing patches of skin. The cavities were filled with greenish material that resembled the insides of tea packets. The sign said something along the lines of “Meth Arm” and I guess the implication was that if you do meth, you’re going to have disgusting arms like her.

OK, I think I can safely say that everyone at Uni understands what a dangerous and terrible substance meth is. We’ve taken health, most of us have been through D.A.R.E., and, well, it's common knowledge that drugs are bad.

So do we really need signs in the hallway showing grotesque pictures of what happens to meth addicts? And is a piece of paper really an effective way to fight the meth war?

Just as millions of people in this world smoke even though they know that smoking is directly linked to lung cancer, people who are adamant about trying meth will not be stopped because a sign.

If Uni is trying to combat meth usage and other types of substance abuse, the administration needs to take more proactive steps. Maybe they can invite a former meth user to relate his or her experience to students. Many times, people see warnings about addiction and they think, “Yeah right, that will never happen to me.”

Many meth addicts start abusing meth because they want to try it, just once. But since meth is such an addictive substance, just one hit can lead to a lifetime of addiction. Therefore by hearing a former addict narrate his or her tale, students will gain a real-life perspective on the dangers of meth.

Right now, those signs in the middle of the hallway just ruin the atmosphere. I do not want to be reminded of meth each time I walk by my locker. Some other students seem to share my sentiment. One person who saw the sign exclaimed: “Ew. I eat lunch here!” Among all the other signs on the walls, those meth signs just don't belong.

But I digress. Maybe I should just be grateful that they aren’t in the kitchen. Talk about ruining people’s appetites.

And, finally, a word of advice: Don’t do drugs!