Commentary: Nora Weiss

Disclaimer: This editorial has no connection to guns, referendums, etc. Any and all English majors looking to deeply analyze and find a hidden meaning in this piece of writing, please cease and desist your actions immediately.

Let’s be honest: there is such thing as a stupid question. However, stupid is in the eye of the beholder. We may not be completely educated on a certain topic or policy, so that’s why we ask questions. It seems that some of us, many of us, are embarrassed to catch up and don’t want to ask that ‘stupid’ question. So, we get defensive and accusatory. How many times have we grimaced about the way ARAMARK runs its to-go policy, or about how the new Starbucks kiosk is open at an awkward time? Count how many times we’ve sat in a circle with our friends and really just bitched about how bored we were.
Are things really this hopeless, or are we just so afraid to double check that we’ve gone mad with being defensive jerks?

A conversation many people have concerns the quality of ARAMARK. From the food to the policies on our campus, complaints fall out of everyone’s mouth, no one is innocent. Probably one of the biggest gripes during the fall semester was the loss of to-go containers from the cafeteria. We students were so upset that we filled the SGA open meeting forum… oh wait. No, we didn’t. But, we must have gone to the Food Meetings between ARAMARK managers and students, right? Nope, we didn’t go.

One virtue our SGA pushes is students having a voice. It’s true: we all have that opportunity to go to forums and meetings and whatever else is going down to give our opinion. With all these issues made to seem so important, though, it’s easy to get lost in the tornado of things to fix and be passionate about. So, how can a student use their voice to the simplest degree?

Ask.

Seriously, just open your mouth and ask a question… politely. Many students complained about how the cafeteria would never allow to-go containers; I saw my peers crippled by such policy this semester with less students in the caf and more at the grocery store buying snacks. Here’s the odd thing, though: I asked an ARAMARK worker about the to-go option, and guess what? I got to take my lunch to-go that day.

I politely asked the sweet women who work the Starbucks kiosk why their operation hours are so weird. Their response gave me hope. While adjusting the technology and implementing the coffee operations, the kiosk had to properly align itself with ARAMARK and its in-house policies. In a few short weeks, the kiosk will be open earlier; eight in the morning to be exact, so those of us plagued with having to buy Green Mountain coffee or actually make our own, have no fear, for we will soon be saved.

There is also the function of asking ourselves how we can make a difference in the way we perceive things. Bored? We need to ask ourselves what the school may be offering that night. Check First Class Announcement for Students, the “What’s Happening” pamphlet, and Facebook. There is always something happening somewhere, even a pick-up game in Venable Gym. Just like change won’t happen without our voice, our questions won’t be answered unless you ask. We may not even like the answer, but now we’re just that more informed.

Still, the school could meet us halfway. There could be a sign by the Info Desk in the Marketplace (yup, that’s what that odd-shaped desk is), announcements emailed directly to students about policy changes, and more banner space to give information about MCLA events.

We students need to realize sooner than later that the real world barely gives out information; we have to find it ourselves. We can complain all we want, but these harps are never received well and usually met with lousy service, or just silence. By using our voice in a more positive manner, we’re more likely to be more informed, see change, and actually appreciate it.

Print PDF