There is something incredible happening in Hays. The news won’t catch wind of it and anyone outside of Kansas won’t understand it, but there is something happening. Fort Hays State University hosts students and teachers from different continents, countries, and counties. These students all have extremely varied backgrounds and interests. Most of these people are not from Hays at all, but we all seem to have one thing in common on the FHSU campus.

Kindness.

I was sitting on the campus shuttle bus today and I noticed something odd. Every single person who got on that bus said hello to the bus driver. I have ridden the bus before and I’ve realized that this happens every time anyone gets on. A lot of people even talk to the bus driver about what’s going on around Hays or how long they’ve been driving that day. I haven’t seen this brand of kindness in a very long time. I noticed another thing right afterwards that shocked me even more. Every single person that rode that bus thanked the bus driver when they got off. Every single person. FHSU often advertises that we are a family here on campus and the more time I spend here the more I see it and believe it.

These little acts of kindness happen daily all over campus. People hold the door for each other, strangers will offer to help me carry a heavy load, the staff is always happy to help you out when you’re lost even when they have no clue who you are. Kindness is the basis of the culture at Fort Hays and it shows.

I’ve lived in the same building for two years and I’ve met some of the kindest people to walk this planet. We have a great janitorial staff that is always willing to help out a student in need. Our front desk workers are kind and resourceful. Our cafeteria workers are industrious and work hard every single day to make sure we have a positive eating experience. The heart of the building staff however, is the woman who swipes our ID cards on weekdays. I won’t say her name, but I bet anyone on this campus would know who she is. Every person who has gotten a meal plan is greeted and loved on by this woman. She makes it her mission to learn the names of every single student that swipes their card and has a smile for all of us. She teaches every single freshman that walks through these doors that a little kindness everyday goes a long way.

Every year Fort Hays sends graduates into the work force that are prepared with a world class education and a deep seated knowledge that being kind is not only a choice, but a necessity. Kindness costs us nothing, but it means the world to those we are kind to. Join the tiger family in helping us start a kindness revolution. You won’t regret it.