Life of a Server
Friday.
The day most people long for. The start of the weekend, usually much overdue from the long work week. However, for me it’s quite a different story.
At 4 p.m., on a Friday my serving shift begins. I started prepping for the busy night. Cut lettuce, tomatoes, limes and lemons. Filled the cheese, butter, and sour cream. Made sure everything was ready to go.
At 4:30 p.m. I heard the bell that signals the first customers have walked through the door. I assumed it was an older couple, because they tend to eat dinner early.
“I’m going to need beer for fish batter,” the cook said.
Two hours passed and the dinner crowd began to flood in. I walked up to a table.
“May I get you started with something to drink?” I asked.
“Do you have Coke or Pepsi?” the customer replied.
“We have coke.”
“I will just take a water.
I then went to other tables to get more drink orders.
“Two cokes, three waters, sunlight, and a flirtini,” I sang to myself as I walk back to the kitchen.
After all my tables had their drinks, I started taking food orders. One table asked me a question concerning gluten-free appetizers. I let her know we have potato skins, but they are cooked in the fryer so, it just depends on how severe her allergy to gluten was.
“I am highly allergic, so that won’t work,” she said.
I proceeded on and took their dinner order, starting with the woman who had the gluten allergy.
“I will have the lime city sirloin, burnt, very well done,” she said. “And for my sides I will have green beans and the macaroni and cheese.”
I chuckle inside, smile, and go on to the next person at the table.
After that I stepped back to look over all of my tables. In my head, I go over the to-do list. I needed to make salads for table 101. Table 103 looked like they needed refills, and I still needed to take table 111’s order.
“I sat you six at 107 love,” my boss said.
Great.
Ok, I go take their drink orders, refilled drinks at my other tables, and start dinner orders from another.
“I will have the cobb salad, but light on the cobb,” a customer said.
I said alright and started writing it down. The table then began to laugh. I then forced a nervous laugh, because I didn’t get the joke, or maybe I just didn’t find it funny.
Back in the kitchen I had food up. As I read the ticket I realized I forgot to take their salads.
Crap.
Hurry made salads, delivered them, ran back to the kitchen and took their food. As I handed out their dinner I apologized for not getting their salads out sooner, blaming the cook for being too quick tonight. Followed by some more fake laughter.
After that was over I noticed one of my tables had finished eating. I cleared their plates, and asked if there was anything else I could get for them.
“No thank you, just our carryout order and the check please,” they replied.
Crap.
I rushed back to the kitchen and with a soft, sad voice I said the cooks name. He gave me a sharp annoyed look, knowing that good news was not about to come out of my mouth. I then proceeded to tell him the carryout order I had forgot to ring in along with 100 apologies.
Now another table finished eating.
“How was everything tonight?” I asked.
“Oh, it was just awful can’t you tell,” the customer replied as he handed me his squeaky, clean plate.
I move on, drinks, food, refill, clean and repeat for the next four hours.
Finally, the night came to an end. Silverware rolled, tables cleaned, and floors swept. I run my server report, take my cash, and go home. My shift was over, until tomorrow
Hyde Brother Books: The first plantery headquarters
Black Pine Animal Sanctuary
IPFW Crowns First-Ever Homecoming “Top Don”
IPFW is following the lead of universities across the country who aim to be more inclusive.
So for the first time in university history, IPFW did not crown a homecoming king and queen. Instead, students competed to win the title of “Top Don”.
The Homecoming Committee Chair, Audrey Donat, said the decision was made to even the playing field for students who do not identify as either male or female.
“We had someone last year that was thinking about running, but they were born male and wanted to run as the queen,” Donat said, “so that topic got brought up and we decided this would be the ideal thing.”
Donat said the decision was made after last year’s homecoming, because the university was already going through a lot of changes, so it made sense to implement the shift.
Donat said the new homecoming model was based on the University of Nebraska at Omaha, one of the first universities to replace homecoming king and queen with homecoming “royalty” in 2016.
“I just think it makes it more even, it makes it more open, and we are going for a more welcoming environment across the board on this campus, not just homecoming,” Donat said, “and so I think that is a big benefit to the switch.”
Despite the change, there were no gender-neutral members on the homecoming court. Out of the five members of the 2018 court, three were male and two female.
Unlike other schools who have done away with homecoming king and queen in exchange for two winners of any gender identity, IPFW only had one winner. Donat said the decision was made so students would not feel pressure to campaign with someone.
However, some students had been looking forward to campaigning together.
Kurt Unger, a senior computer engineering major from Churubuscho, Indiana, said he initially chose to run for homecoming court so he could campaign with his friend.
“It’s kind of sad because we wanted to run together, and we wanted to campaign together and have a fun thing to do together, but now it’s kind of more lonely,” Kurt laughed. “I don’t know.”
As a member of OUTspoken, a campus organization which focuses on providing a safe atmosphere for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and allies, Kurt said he can see why the decision was made.
But since there is only one winner, his friend chose not to run, though she still helped him campaign by handing out candy at voting booths.
Other members of OUTspoken were also supportive of the change.
Janelle Hall, a junior psychology and women’s studies major from Fort Wayne said she thinks any effort to make IPFW more inclusive is a good thing.
Janelle said it is very important for people to respect pronouns in a university setting where professors and advisers are supposed to be there on behalf of the students.
However, Janelle said she has heard a mixed bag of responses from other students regarding the change.
“From other people on campus who I’ve talked to its kind of half a joke like, ‘Oh man, there they go, what are they doing?’ and half like, ‘Well that makes sense because we want to be more inclusive,’” Janelle said.
Janelle said respecting gender pronouns is important to her because she recognizes her own privilege. She said she grew up feeling as comfortable about her body as a woman in America can feel.
“I’ve never had to confront that part of my identity in a way that would go against everything our culture says is right,” Janelle said. “So for me, respecting people’s pronouns is respecting that people have gone through different experiences than me.”
Janelle said for some of her friends who are transgender or gender-neutral, being addressed as their chosen pronoun is an important part of being accepted for who they really are.
However, she said she has noticed a generational gap in those who are accepting. Her friends have experienced older people purposefully using the wrong pronoun, something she considers a form of violence.
When this happens, Janelle said her friends often end up crying and feeling really bad about their bodies. She said it leaves them feeling disrespected or like they cannot connect with people.
While the majority of schools still crown a traditional homecoming king and queen, Donat said she expects to see more schools making the change to gender-neutral homecoming titles in the future.
IPFW crowned Emily Day, a junior biology major from North Manchester, Indiana, as the first-ever Top Don on Saturday during half-time at the IPFW men’s basketball game vs. South Dakota State.
Oldest Indiana High School Basketball Tournament Concludes
The Allen County Athletic Conference Tournament wrapped up on Jan. 13 at South Adams High School.
The tournament is the longest running high school basketball tournament in Indiana.
Athletic Director James Arnold of South Adams said this conference is interesting for a couple of reasons.
“First of all, just the history and tradition of this conference and the conference tournament itself,” Arnold said. “For the girls, it’s the 44th-straight tournament, and the boys have had 95 years of a conference tournament.”
The tournament started for the boys back in 1924. It added the girls in 1975.
The tournament ran at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum till 2014. With the conference adding Jay County and most of the schools not in Allen County, the tournament finals were moved to South Adams.
“I think if you look at the history and the longevity as conferences come and conferences go and memberships change,” Athletic Director Arnold said. “For us to be able to run the tournament that many consecutive years, it’s pretty neat.”
The girl’s championship tipped-off first, with South Adams seeking their first ever. Their opponent was Jay County, who won it the past three years.
The game was tightly contested throughout. The largest lead of the game was 13 in favor of South Adams. Madi Wurster led all scorers with 19 points.
The final was 55 to 45 in favor of South Adams.
Senior Guard Alexis Dellinger said she loved that they were able to pull through and finally win the championship.
“It feels amazing,” Dellinger said. “I wouldn’t want to do it with any other girls.”
Alexis was named the Hilliard Gates MVP for the girls.
South Adams has never won the tournament in its 44-year history.
“I knew that stat,” Athletic Director Arnold said, chuckling about it. “I forgot that stat until you just reminded me.”
He said being an athletic director at a school getting its first title is a good feeling.
The boy’s championship hosted Heritage and Jay County.
Heritage looked to avenge last year’s championship loss Woodlan, while Jay County looked to win their second championship in three years.
At the half, Heritage led Jay County 14 to 13. Jay County won the third quarter 16 to 12.
But it wasn’t enough.
Heritage outscored Jay County 19 to 7 in the fourth quarter. Heritage won 45 to 36.
The Hilliard Gates MVP for the boys was Abram Beard.
“I was surprised. I’m honored and all thanks to God,” senior forward for Heritage Beard said. “I couldn’t do anything without him watching over me.”
Beard said the loss a year ago hit them hard. He said it gave them the encouragement to work over the summer to make sure they got here again, to win it.
Barry Singrey, head coach for Heritage, said he is really happy to see his team’s hard work pay off.
“To win a tournament requires toughness,” Singrey said. “I think our kids have that.”
He said his team lacked it in the first half, but thought they came out in the second half, and found a way to finish it.
This was their first championship since 2007.
Students showcase their talents at Dons on the Mic
The Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs hosted an event titled Dons on the Mic on Jan. 25, where students had the opportunity to perform in the Walb Classic Ballroom.
Students and faculty were encouraged to showcase their singing, dancing, poetry, comedy, and rapping skills.
The program assistant for ODMA, Diana Mejia Bonilla, a senior health-care administration major from San Salvador, El Salvador, said the event aligned with the goals of ODMA: to celebrate diversity and promote inclusiveness.
“One of our biggest goals is to provide students with a platform where they feel comfortable,” Mejia Bonilla said, “and I think this is a good way of doing that.”
Mejia Bonilla said ODMA tries to be inclusive by reaching out to all students, faculty and staff, and creating relationships.
Justin Beckstedt, a sophomore music performance major from Fort Wayne, was the first to take the stage. He said he enjoyed the positive atmosphere as people were not afraid to be themselves.
Justin described himself as a natural performer and performed multiple acts at the event, including song covers and an original dance.
Justin said he loves all crowds, even small ones.
“I feel like it is more intimate, and people get to know each other in smaller crowds,” Justin said. “It just makes everything a little bit more exciting.”
Maggie Blackwell, a senior Spanish major from Fort Wayne, also performed. She taught the audience how to dance the merengue, a skill she said she learned while studying abroad in Mexico.
Maggie said she made a lot of friends at the event and plans on going again in the future. Like Justin, she said she liked how people could be themselves.
“They can get up there and do whatever they want and know that it is a safe space and know that people will clap anyway if it is really horrible,” Maggie said. “Or if it is really good, it’s like discovering talent you didn’t know you had.”
The night ended with a game of “Heads Up,” where around 18 audience members sat in a circle and tried to get each other to guess the word on their phone.
Both Maggie and Justin said they hope the event is advertised more in the future. Maggie said so many people do not know about the events on campus and thought if more people knew, they would come.
“It is like a bonding event for sure,” Maggie said, “especially if you are new on campus or you don’t have a place where you feel comfortable yet, this is definitely an event to come to.”
Mejia Bonilla said ODMA plans to reach out to professors and advisors who have connections with students to perform at or host the event in order to draw in a bigger crowd.
Dons on the Mic will be held again on Feb. 15 and March 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Walb Classic Ballroom.
The 97 Percent
Planned Parenthood has been providing a range of health services to men and women for 100 years.
The clinic offers much more than abortion services, including birth control, general health care, HIV testing, LGBT services, STD testing, and men’s health care. In fact, men make up 11 percent of Planned Parenthood’s patients according its website. In 2015, nearly 650 Planned Parenthood centers served 2.4 million men, women and youth.
This is despite an effort to defund Planned Parenthoodsin the U.S. In 2015, nine states eliminated Planned Parenthood from public health programs, according to its website.
The opposition also hits home. Abigail Lorenzen is the operationsand media director for Allen County Right to Life, which coordinates the 40 Days for Life campaign in Fort Wayne.
The campaign has three pillars: prayer, presence, and community awareness. Lorenzen said the presence aspect requires participants to be present and pray in front of an abortion clinic.
She said there is at least one person praying at an abortion clinic every day during the campaign and that their presence raises awareness about the issues behind abortion.
Lorenzen said they protest in front of the Fort Wayne Planned Parenthood because although the location does not provide on-site abortions, they refer patients to other Planned Parenthoods that do. Yet according to the Planned Parenthood website, only three percent of their services nationally are abortions.
IPFW senior Sylvia Rusk, a communication and political science major from Fort Wayne, has used these other services offered at Fort Wayne’s Planned Parenthood. Rusk said she went to Planned Parenthood to get contraception after her general practitioner refused to provide her birth control based on their religious beliefs.
Rusk said she had a positive experience at Planned Parenthood, as they were informative and explained the process to her.
IPFW senior Nicole Sanders is an English and women’s studies major from Fort Wayne and is the treasurer for IPFW Generation Action, formerly IPFW Voices of Choice. They are a Planned Parenthood affiliated group that is working to educate students about reproductive health.
IPFW Generation Action hosts events such as “condoms and candy,” where they hand out contraceptives and informational pamphlets about services that Planned Parenthood provides.
Nicole said she advocates for Planned Parenthood because she had a negative experience at her family doctor after getting a pap smear when she was only 16.
“I wish I had had information about Planned Parenthood,” Sanders said. “If I was able to go there, they would have been more gentle, more understanding, and they would not have put me through a physical examination that I was not ready for.”
The Aftershock
November is usually a time to reflect on what you’re thankful for – the opportunity to have a quality education, for one, combined with two of the top universities in the state.
However, for some students at IPFW that was taken from them, by defunding liberal arts and humanities courses.
On Nov. 2 and 3 of 2016, students and faculty gathered in protest of the USAP recommendations, following the announcement of a split between Indiana and Purdue. Certain programs, such as women’s studies and philosophy, would be cut.
These reforms are in correlation with those across the nation. Universities in New York andIllinois have made cuts to humanities courses in recent years, while Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky was quoted by Inside Higher Education in September saying, “Public universities should consider cutting programs that don’t graduate students who are able to fill high-paying and in-demand jobs.”
According to some professors on campus, that is exactly what the university did following the USAP report.
“The focus here is on employability directly after graduation,” said Charlene Elsby, director of the philosophy program. “There is a long standing history of which kind of knowledge is more valuable and the professional degrees versus the liberal arts degrees.”
Elsby came to IPFW after finishing her Ph.D. in Canada back in 2014. She was on the tenure track here before the academic cuts took place. She was told tenured and tenure-track professors would not be affected.
“If I can determine excellence in teaching, research and service then I should be able to get tenure,” Elsby said. “However, I have received some communications to the effect that I should not expect for that to happen.”
Sophia Ulmer, professor of English and women’s studies, has only been at IPFW since the spring semester of 2017. She immediately saw the impacts of realignment.
“Of course I teach in women’s studies, so obviously people were very unhappy,” Ulmer said.
Ulmer said she feels extremely proud to work alongside Dr. Badia, who took a pay cut in order to keep the department running. But she’s less proud of working at IPFW, saying that after the decisions made last fall she is not impressed by the university.
“The first women’s study programs were in the early ‘70s and IPFW followed shortly after that,” Ulmer said. “It was special, it was cool, and I just wish that it was in a culture that valued women and the study of us.”
While women’s studies was able to resurrect itself with the sacrifices made by Professor Badia, the philosophy department was not so lucky.
Elsby said the faculty got a notice that some programs were on the chopping block in May of 2016. When the USAP report came out, there was a list of programs up for restructure.
“Last year was a shit show,” Elsby said.
Both professors Elsby and Ulmer are concerned about more cuts being made. Elsby pointed out the university can justify cuts when they see it appropriate and hopes they learned their lesson the last time.
“Hopefully, they will not only realize that these cuts were not well thought out,” Elsby said, “but that if they continue on this path it will continue not to be well received by our students and the general public.”
Women’s studies professor Ulmer said, that if the cuts keep happening it will begin to tarnish the reputation the school has built by offering Indiana University and Purdue University degrees.
Another thing that has Ulmer agitated is the $80,000 spent on the company Simpson Scarborough, who works with higher education institutions from its base in Alexandria, Virginia, that the university had brought in to help with the rebranding process.
Ulmer said she is grateful for the knowledge the liberal arts and humanities courses provided her with when she was earning her degree. Yet, she understands the other side of the topic.
A change to the campus that might affect the future of the philosophy department lies in the hands of the new Chancellor, as Elsby has high hopes for reinstating the philosophy program.
“What is a university without a philosophy program, like literally everyone who works here has a Ph. D. which stands for doctor in philosophy,” Elsby said. “It seems kind of contradictory to say that we do not teach philosophy here.”
Brain Drain: Are Developing Countries Chasing Pavements?
Using a multimedia service called Webflow to create website, this story discusses the trend “Brain Drain.”
Click here to read the read the multimedia trend.