Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
Like many students, throughout my years at Pepperdine I have found the secret to academic success to be chicken tenders. So, with a craving, I went to the HAWC but unfortunately got overcharged.
Months later, the mistake was remedied. The cooks there, though inundated with the late-night traffic of first-years, recognized and remembered the error, and offered me a bag of cookies.
Thank you, HAWC cooks, for staying up and providing our midnight snacks.
Bon Appétit runs an extensive operation to fill our 3 different cafeterias, Starbucks and the HAWC with food every day. Everyone from the truck drivers to the cooks to the cashiers deserve so much praise for working long hours and allowing the campus to eat and therefore function.
Thank you, cafeteria staff, for patiently serving our long lines.
Pepperdine’s rotation of shuttle drivers circle campus for around 15 hours every day. Despite driving being very tiring — especially for long periods of time — they remain kind and good-spirited.
Thank you, shuttle drivers, for taking us up those darn hills.
Construction is annoying, especially when it drastically limits parking and rattles our dorm rooms. But we should never forget that construction is being done by numerous workers who, in the heat of the day, are working tirelessly to meet their strict deadlines.
Thank you, construction workers, for building this school’s future.
Pepperdine has one of the most beautiful college campuses in the United States, both due its location and facilities. But whether it is our fields or hillsides, they are well kept by wonderful facilities staff.
Thank you, facilities staff, for all the beautiful flowers.
Pepperdine’s mission statement places importance on developing students in three different areas: purpose, service, and leadership. In my mind, the university’s many workers exemplify what it means to serve.
To be a servant is to help — to go about your responsibilities with a spirit of generosity and kindness. Such a spirit is modeled when the HAWC cooks remember our names or when the shuttle drivers accommodate their passengers.
In so many ways, this campus is sustained by the hard work of individuals who often, unfortunately, go completely unnoticed.
One night, I was working late — around 10 p.m. in an office. A member of the custodial staff entered, and surprised to see me, did his best to clean the room in the least intrusive manner possible.
The hours our staff must work to sustain this campus in the background should be one of many reasons we students remain motivated to spend our time wisely at Pepperdine. Though it is their job, people sacrifice their grueling hours and work hard for our sake.
Again, even though construction is especially annoying, those working on it are putting hard work into making our facilities better. I have no doubt that when the Mountain finally comes around, it will be worth it. Yet the effort so many put into building it should not go unrecognized or forgotten.
That is true of everyone, from the people who keep our lawns green to those who gather our trash. Every one of them deserves our utmost respect and gratitude.
A university is a place of teaching and learning. So thank you, Pepperdine workers, for teaching us how to be servants.
___________________
Follow the Graphic on X: @PeppGraphic
Contact Eliot Cox via email: eliot.cox@pepperdine.edu
