Marriage counselors sometimes refer to the 80/20 percent principle. The idea is that each and everyone’s character consists of 80 percent positive attributes and 20 percent negative, obnoxious or downright lousy traits.

When people fall in love and get married, they mostly see the 80 percent. Post honeymoon, however, spouses may become acutely aware of the 20 percent, to a degree that the bad traits seem to outweigh the good.

A number of things in life follow the same pattern of mostly good with a little bit of bad. For example, BYU-Idaho is mostly a terrific school; it has great teachers, great students, great organization, etc. Nevertheless, there is always that nasty 20 percent — Honor Code violators, grumpy campus staff and so forth.

Like in a marriage, if negative facets of BYU-I are focused on they grow and grow in the observer’s view, ultimately eclipsing the abundance of good things the school offers. If students would spend most of their energy acknowledging and accentuating the many great things at this school, those things would grow and flourish while the bad things would become less and less important — minor annoyances in the end.

Devotional, for example, helps students take time away from textbooks and essays to pay needed attention to spiritual things. A carefully prepared message about things pertinent to student life is delivered by faculty and guests, who oftentimes have dealt with many of the same challenges and problems students face at this stage in their lives.

By recognizing and paying more attention to these things, a person will not miss out on what is being offered.

However, devotional has received heat because everything on campus shuts down from 2 to 3 p.m. every Tuesday.

True, it would be nice to have the option of studying for an upcoming test or typing out a paper due at 3:30 during devotional hour, just in case the need arises.

By paying too much attention to such a complaint, though, students risk missing the great things offered by devotional.

The dress code is another hot spot of complaint at BYU-I. It’s not followed perfectly. Midriffs have been spotted more than once, and thong sandals flip and flop rampantly across campus.

Certainly this is not condoned; everyone should be encouraged to live the Honor Code they signed.

But frankly, the vast majority of the student body follows the dress code. There are few schools in the United States with such a high standard of dress as BYU-I. It’s good fortune and a blessing to attend a school where a clean and modest standard of appearance is so widely adhered to.

People find what they look for, be it bad or good. By looking for and focusing on the minority of negative things on campus — the 20 percent — students will find an irritating and flawed university experience. But by seeking out and holding to the good things BYU-I offers — the 80 percent — students will receive a high-quality, enriching education. It’s the students’ decision.