2008 Woodie Awards
A Smile a Day
Rena Wiesen
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Opinion
One of the most amazing developments on campus this year has been the immense growth and strengthening of the Beren campus community. The efforts to enhance unity culminated beautifully with our first YUnite-Beren Style Shabbaton. Students have been getting to know each other and their diverse faculty and are continuing to develop new relationships with them. However, amidst all of these wonderful relationships, there is one integral part of our community that is often overlooked and ignored. The service personnel -including maintenance, facilities, housekeeping, and most obviously, security-are an underappreciated presence on campus.
Each day we pass these hardworking people as we enter school buildings, buy food in the cafeterias, and walk through the halls of each dorm. They work long hours, arriving early in the morning and leaving late at night. All day, they tirelessly ensure that our buildings and dorms are clean and safe, that we are served quickly and efficiently, and that all of our needs are taken care of.
Yet, how many of us stop or even turn our heads for two seconds to wish our security guards or cafeteria workers a good morning, pausing for a moment to say "hello" or "thank you"? How often are we too "busy," preferring instead to simply rush by without a second glance, grumbling if someone asks us to show ID, or getting annoyed if someone is cleaning the lounge when we want to hang out? Worse, how many times do we leave a disgusting mess around the building, without thinking of who is stuck cleaning up the spilled drinks, the crumbs of food and the strewn papers? Imagine what a thankless, not to mention dirty, job this must be.
It's time to start appreciating all the hard work our service personnel do. The very least we can do is to smile as we pass by, demonstrating through this how much we appreciate their presence. Even better, let's take the initiative to say "hello." I am truly inspired by the women I see, both students and members of the administration, who make an effort to learn the names of each employee they encounter, and inquire about their well-being. Just this past week, one student with whom I was speaking stopped one of the housekeeping staff who was in our dorm hallway, introduced all of us, and complimented the woman on her hairstyle. This led to a few minutes of conversation, and at the end of it, the woman thanked us for schmoozing with her. In another instance, one of the heads of the facilities department told me how much he appreciates the students who stop and say hi to him, and how happy he is to see these students when they come back to visit and remember him. It was a shock to see the enormous impact of these small gestures.
We can all spare five seconds of our time, no matter how busy we are, to appreciate someone else and his or her hard work. Next time you enter a building, take a moment to greet the security guards. When you leave a room, clean up after yourself. At the end of the day, wish the staff good night. These small efforts cost you nothing, but make a huge difference in someone else's day.
Each day we pass these hardworking people as we enter school buildings, buy food in the cafeterias, and walk through the halls of each dorm. They work long hours, arriving early in the morning and leaving late at night. All day, they tirelessly ensure that our buildings and dorms are clean and safe, that we are served quickly and efficiently, and that all of our needs are taken care of.
Yet, how many of us stop or even turn our heads for two seconds to wish our security guards or cafeteria workers a good morning, pausing for a moment to say "hello" or "thank you"? How often are we too "busy," preferring instead to simply rush by without a second glance, grumbling if someone asks us to show ID, or getting annoyed if someone is cleaning the lounge when we want to hang out? Worse, how many times do we leave a disgusting mess around the building, without thinking of who is stuck cleaning up the spilled drinks, the crumbs of food and the strewn papers? Imagine what a thankless, not to mention dirty, job this must be.
It's time to start appreciating all the hard work our service personnel do. The very least we can do is to smile as we pass by, demonstrating through this how much we appreciate their presence. Even better, let's take the initiative to say "hello." I am truly inspired by the women I see, both students and members of the administration, who make an effort to learn the names of each employee they encounter, and inquire about their well-being. Just this past week, one student with whom I was speaking stopped one of the housekeeping staff who was in our dorm hallway, introduced all of us, and complimented the woman on her hairstyle. This led to a few minutes of conversation, and at the end of it, the woman thanked us for schmoozing with her. In another instance, one of the heads of the facilities department told me how much he appreciates the students who stop and say hi to him, and how happy he is to see these students when they come back to visit and remember him. It was a shock to see the enormous impact of these small gestures.
We can all spare five seconds of our time, no matter how busy we are, to appreciate someone else and his or her hard work. Next time you enter a building, take a moment to greet the security guards. When you leave a room, clean up after yourself. At the end of the day, wish the staff good night. These small efforts cost you nothing, but make a huge difference in someone else's day.
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