7 Deadly Sins

You're in the middle of your final and the hot guy in class is distracting you, you can't help but notice how much cuter your outfit is than the girl's sitting next to you, and you didn't really study because last night's episode of "Glee" was far more interesting. 

Not only are you likely failing your test, but according to Dante's seven deadly sins, you are sinning without even realizing it.  

Christianity recognizes sin, in general, as immoral.  But there are seven namely instances where it is not only unforgivable but considered deadly: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, wrath, greed, and sloth.

Of the deadly transgressions, sloth is what Italian Professor Maria Giribaldi claims to witness the most from her classes.  

"In my classes there's a lot of immaturity," said Giribaldi.  "And usually it comes the moment of the final grade when they think they should have more.  But they don't deserve it because they don't go to the lab, they don't do the work, they don't even pay attention in class.  They're just lazy."

"I think it's a disease of the times and a disease of this society.  I don't think other cultures have the same sense of entitlement," she continued.

Sloth goes beyond the doors of the classroom though.  SMC student Ron Collins sees the laziness most when he's working around campus to encourage student involvement with the Bus Riders Union.  

"I do a lot of political work on campus and try to get students to do anything," said Collins.  "Like ‘Hey they're cutting your classes, they're taking your money away,' they're like, ‘And? I'm going to go smoke a bowl.'"

Although Collins criticizes others' lethargic ways interfering with school, it takes a vice of another variety to distract him from his education. 

"There's a lot of sexual tension on campus," he says.  "Lust kind of winds up taking over the campus and becomes more important than school."

"Sometimes you're not going to school to go to school, you're going to see whomever.  There's a friend of mine that I always totally ditch class with because I really like them," he said.

But don't think the professors don't notice the wandering eyes in their classrooms.  

"I feel they're distracted, there might be some lust.  They're young and they wouldn't mind jumping on each other," said Giribaldi.

Student Elena Kivnick doesn't blame lust so much as greed.

"Everyone wants the same thing," said Kivnick.  "So when people go to the libraries and rip the pages out of textbooks, they'll do whatever it takes to get a good grade."

"I think society shows these stupid problems in movies where people go and get everything that they want," said Giribaldi. "It doesn't matter how they get it, if it's stealing, if it's cheating, if it's whatever. [Young students] grew up with that kind of mentality." 

The deadly sins appear in a multitude of means across campus, but are there solutions? 

"I would not allow them to watch certain programs, to play certain video games, stuff like that," said Giribaldi.  "I would rather they watch things that are celebrating people who are more hard working, honest, more than being a delinquent and getting everything that you want."  

"Ironically, I think the solution is education," said Collins.  "Making classes more engaging to students and making campus life more engaging to students."