Many Aramark staff members say students this year have worse manners compared to students of previous years and express frustration over some students' inconsideration and lack of etiquette.
At the same time, the campus as a whole is reaching out to build stronger relationships with Aramark staff. The International Development Program Student Association of the School of International Service held their Aramark Partnership Program kickoff last Friday with about 10 Aramark staff members and numerous students, faculty and staff.
According to Aramark Partnership Program Coordinator Ana De Lao, the program involves students, professors, faculty and staff who wish to meet once or twice a week with an assigned Aramark staff member to help them learn English and increase conversational skills.
De Lao said the program was implemented in hopes of building a stronger AU community. Because many of the Aramark staffers are from El Salvador, according to the Oct. 13 edition of Today@AU, the program also provides an opportunity to AU students who wish to learn more Spanish.
"It seemed like a really good program, and it looked like a great way to meet new people," said Megan Schlosser, a junior in the School of Communication and a participant in the program.
Such a program may be needed now more than ever. Aramark staff member James Warren, who has worked at AU for 20 years and currently works in Letts Hall, said this year's on-campus residents are the worst compared to those in the past.
"You have some students you say good morning to and they look at you like you're crazy," Warren said.
Basic etiquette such as flushing the toilet and cleaning after bathroom use has become a problem, according to staff members.
"Especially on the weekends, people go out to clubs, get drunk and vomit everywhere," said an unidentified Aramark staff member who works in Hughes Hall. "Sometimes we find pee on the floor. I think [students] think that the housekeeper has to clean."
Some Aramark employees say there are students who act irrationally without considering who will be cleaning up after them. Aramark staff member Carla Argueta said the behavior is "terrible."
"In Anderson, they break the ceiling tiles, take entire rolls of toilet paper and bottles and put them in the toilet," she said.
Cooperation between the residents and the Aramark staff is definitely needed to maintain a clean environment, but after seeing the severity of the students' behavior Argueta said she feels change is quite far away.
Niles Anderegg, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said students are not actively thinking about the custodial staff and are oblivious to the custodial work. He also said he thinks the lack of consequences from the administration and other authoritative figures promotes such behavior.
Aramark staff members said they have also seen students dump trash and garbage in the common lounge's recycling bin, which becomes double the workload for the cleaning crew. According to Warren, recycling consists of bottles, papers and plastics. For meats, dairy and other food products, the garbage disposal is the proper way to get rid of it, he said.
Despite the experiences of some Aramark staff members, others said they do not think all student residents are disrespectful.
"There are just a few that make the rest look bad," Warren said.
Luedella Guess, an Aramark staff member in McDowell Hall, said the majority of students are respectful.
"The kids are very nice and I don't have any problems," Guess said. "Very friendly, very kind and so far I'm extremely happy with [them]."
Hughes Hall Resident Assistant Kate Watts, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, said she makes sure to tell her residents at floor meetings about treating the Aramark staff with kindness and respect. After reminders, Watts said she sees her residents greeting the staff and helping them with small gestures to make their work a little bit easier.
Friday's Aramark Partnership Program meeting introduced the program and offered free food for all to mix and mingle. According to Aramark staff member Ana Urrdia, her desire to improve her English is not only about effective communication with others. She also needs the language skills to successfully pass the interview stage of her citizenship test.
Currently, 10 Aramark volunteers are participating in the program and about 30 students, faculty and staff have signed up to teach and learn with the volunteers. "You see Aramark staff, but you don't know them and you don't say hi to them, but you share with them the same space," De Lao said. "If we're sharing the same space, I think we should get to know each other better"
