IÂ want to specify that this column reflects only my own opinion. I cannot, will not, and do not speak on behalf of CPAC as a whole. I also want to make it very clear, as it should be painstakingly obvious, that I have an extremely high standard for my school, so take that into consideration when reading this column.
IÂ dealt with tons of departments during CPAC, and overall, everyone collaborated to produce a pretty damn stellar event. I don’t know all of the details yet, as we are still getting numbers in, but I want to take a minute to reflect on my time at Stevens and how my experiences with CPAC this year mirror the rest of college for me.
I was in communications with Compass One, University Events, Athletics, IT, Stevens Police, Student Life, Physical Plant, and the Fire Safety Department at Stevens. My experience was what you’d expect.
Each department had its own hoops to jump through, and each had wildly different personalities that were sometimes insanely difficult to work with. Student Life was always tricky. In CPAC and The Stute, I’ve found most staff to give me the run-around, or mysteriously vanish when I need them the most, or give me a lot of unnecessary tasks or requests that ultimately slow everything down for no particular goal.
Athletics always struck me as a haughty organization who is separate from everyone else. I tried to coordinate with them about some things, and someone in University Events essentially screamed at me to never do that again. Unsurprisingly, a day before the convention, Athletics tried to deny our swipe access to the building because they didn’t know what was going on.
University Events had too many people working with us with too many different ideas. Because of constantly switching between people as they took vacations or conferences or whatever, our schedule of events took forever to fully hammer out and it led to a lot of people being confused the day of, despite all of the hours we spent working on the thing. Different people had different desired outcomes for the meeting. Because of this, the generators that were ordered were too small for their intended purpose, and we only managed to get the layouts of the build a week before the convention. It was frustrating.
Compass One really stepped up and tried to get involved, and a lot of what they brought to that table was good. Unlike Sodexo, Compass One actually talked to me to get the adequate amount of eateries up and running. In addition, they worked with us to set up additional stands. I couldn’t help but notice that there was a significant lack of detail or care with the catering that was called for. There were some staff who had gluten allergies and they got stuff for us that was “gluten free” but still made in a factory that processes wheat or whatever – effectively contaminating the food supply. The Kosher food had rising bread, making it non-kosher for Passover, and sometimes there were things that were just left out even though they said they’d take care of it. And at the end of the day, they had a bunch more additional stands out, more than intended, and never bothered to notify me. Very aggravating for me.
You guys are not administrative staff. You are Stevens administrative staff. I cannot stand the fact that you won’t jump through extra hoops for me. If you are, I don’t see it – and if you say you are, I don’t believe you, because the lack of progress you make on basic things I ask astounds me. Talk to one another, help me out, don’t make me go to each individual. Prioritize me! Anything but the stagnation and the twiddling of your fingers that you’re doing now. I pay a lot to go to this school. I want you to be so much more than average. I need you to be extraordinary. Don’t engage in department squabbles, work together for me. You aren’t what make the school great – not by a long shot. That is my job. I am a student, and we the students are the best thing about Stevens. You brag about us and our accomplishments, so why don’t you do EVERYTHING in your power to enable us to do the BEST things that no other campus can do. Why can we make Stevens a great university?!
During the process of CPAC, I have felt spat on, trampled on, ignored, and given the runaround. And I am sick of it. I want to be happy, and I want to be proud. So work with me, not against me, and enable me to make things happen. Don’t chastise me, lecture me, inhibit me, or slow me down.
That all aside, I need to change gears and draw attention to something positive. Despite all the screw-ups from the Howe Building, there is one specific department that I want to praise relentlessly: The Stevens Police Department. These guys are the absolute greatest. I may not always get their sense of humor, but when they say “if you call us, we’ll be there in probably 30-60 seconds”, they are not joking around. I had an issue at CPAC with some people that needed removing from a location and about 40 seconds after the call, an officer was on the scene, calm and composed. After two minutes, three more officers were standing behind him backing it up. No run-around, no questions, no deliberation, just action. They were always friendly, always happy to help, and even if the request was strange they were patient and worked so hard to make sure nothing got out of hand.
Compare that to Student Life, who freaked out when there was an accidental mention of installing a rented radio repeater on the roof of the Howe Center. The rental company was misinformed and we were about to correct it, but members from Student Life made a couple of brash comments that made my team look incompetent in front of the rental company. What the hell is wrong with you guys? You are supposed to help me out, not make me look like a fool in front of our suppliers! And how insulting — as if I didn’t have it under control? Doing that in front of the suppliers brings down the reputation of the convention, and really pisses me off on a side note.
Did the Stevens Police get tired of me? Probably, and I wouldn’t blame them if they did. I asked a lot out of them during the convention. But they didn’t complain, they just kept helping out. No matter the request, no matter the distance, they always pulled through. If there were doors that needed locking and unlocking, they were always at the ready. If someone was being a problem, they helped take care of it. Accidents? Calm, cool, collected, and always there to help. And better than anything, they are proud to be Stevens Police, not just police.
Every other department at Stevens could learn a thing or two from the Stevens Police. They are, without a doubt, the most reliable, easy-to-work-with, and trustworthy department that I have ever teamed up with, and it pains me to think that the rest of the administration is probably getting paid more. If I had a say in it, I would absolutely change that. I like as many members of the administration as I dislike officers — at best I tolerate the administration. I am pleased that I no longer have to work with most post-graduation, it will certainly make my life less stressful and aggravating.
And I want to reiterate this: This entire experience has been indicative of my whole time at Stevens. I have been encountering increased resistance and stubbornness from the Howe Center in regards to just about anything. You constantly badger me to participate in your stupid bureaucratic dance where I send emails, get ignored, and schedule meetings weeks in advance that are no longer relevant by the time it comes around, then chide me for scheduling it in the first place. Cut the crap and help me out. Be accommodating and welcoming and friendly. Remember this, because I cannot stress it enough: the students are what make Stevens great. We are the backbone of CPAC, we are what you brag about to your sponsors, and we are your financiers, as students and alumni.
I just want to be happy at Stevens, and nothing would please me more than having us all work together and collaborate more effectively, not just passing off responsibility to other parties at the earliest convenience.
