It looks like UConn students have found the good in last week’s infamous mac and cheese incident. Freshman Sadie Rumsey and senior Olivia Korte have organized a fundraiser to treat the Union Street Market workers to a night out, according to the GoFundMe page they set up, and reports from the Associated Press. As of this writing, the page has raised $2,316.
Due to the large number of donations, the students announced that all proceeds over $2,000 will be donated The Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic. As noted by the Associated Press, D.P. Dough has “donated $600 in proceeds to a children’s cancer charity after adding jalapeño to its bacon mac and cheese calzones.” These reactions are an admirable way to take negative attention away from an embarrassing situation and channel it into something positive.
Another important takeaway from this event: the value of treating university workers with kindness and respect.
Whether they are dining hall workers who cook our food, those who clean and maintain our dorms or landscaping and construction workers, these employees provide vital services that keep our campus running smoothly. Sometimes students forget that there is a large community of workers behind the scenes who make our time here possible and enjoyable. But these people are integral members of the UConn community, and we should never forget to treat them as such.
When dining hall workers hand you food, smile and thank them. Say hello to the cleaning people in your dorms.
Do not take the work these people do for granted, but instead be friendly and let them know that you appreciate everything they do.
These workers put a lot of hours in cooking our food, fixing our problems, and cleaning our messes. The least we can do, as a student body, is to show our gratitude. These workers are simply trying to do their jobs – jobs that immensely benefit us. Anyone who has worked with the general public knows that it can be difficult at times. Each of us should strive, in the way we interact with university workers, to be people who make the work day more enjoyable, rather than more stressful and frustrating.
There is reason for the adage, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” We should be constantly aware of the continuing efforts of university workers to make UConn a great place to live. Instead of treating them with disrespect or ignoring them, we should be friendly and recognize the work they do for us.