In the Jan. 20 op−ed entitled, "Give late diners equal rights," sophomore Gerardo Zampaglione claimed that Tufts University Dining Services (TUDS) employees were clearing away food before the official closing time. The author neglected to include in his op−ed any explanation from either tenured employees or Tufts students who may be dining−hall student workers.
TUDS employees are a respected part of the Tufts community, and I was sorry to read what seemed like slanderous accusations towards them. If in the past some have occasionally removed the food from the dining area a few minutes before closing time, it was never out of laziness or malice. Cleaning up the dining hall is hard work, and on days when there have been more students than usual or when the dining halls are understaffed it is extremely difficult to finish on time without removing food early. If you see something that you want is missing, I'm sure one of the people working on the floor would be glad to assist you in retrieving it.
Dewick−MacPhie Dining Center closes to customers at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and clock−out time for TUDS workers can be as late as 10 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the dining center closes at 7:30 p.m. to customers and up to an hour later for employees. Evening−shift employees have a limited amount of time after formal closing to clean up after the students: putting away food, cleaning surfaces, removing litter and, over in the dish room, finishing up those plates. On certain nights, especially when circulation is particularly high, it can be almost impossible to clean everything up and avoid going overtime. Mr. Zampaglione mentions in his op−ed that some of his friends, who have classes until just before closing time, caught certain employees putting food away early. Although students are often allowed to remain in the dining hall a little after closing time, it is disrespectful for "late diners" to expect the employees to extend their service accordingly.
If I am not mistaken, TUDS does not pay its employees above their hourly wage for the hours they work past clock−out time. They may receive overtime pay at their usual wage if they obtain the appropriate signature. Thus, it does not seem outlandish for employees, many of whom are also commuters, to prefer to avoid going unnecessarily overtime.
The author claims that he "fully understands" the circumstances of the dining−hall workers outside work, with "a family and a life to get to." And yet he berates TUDS employees for seeking "an excuse to lazily renege on a commitment to students." TUDS employees work hard for students like you and me, and they deserve respect. Anyone with complaints about their behavior is advised to contact the administration by posting a complaint (written on a sticky note) on the comment board at the entrance of dining halls, or to sit and discuss the matter personally with an employee in order to learn about the causes of the misunderstanding.
The TUDS website's description of the staff as "friendly & helpful" is indeed a statement that we know to be true. Therefore, we know that if these employees are repeatedly doing something that is displeasing to the students, it is not out of personal antipathy towards the student body but because of larger issues. TUDS has already made efforts to solve the problem by shifting clock−in and clock−out time a little later for certain workers, but if the results do not seem satisfactory, students can inform TUDS about the issue and perhaps even suggest possible solutions. I only ask that they maintain a tone of civility and respect with regards to the employees, and that they do not make accusations without consulting the accused.
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