The Tufts campus doesn't run itself - messes aren't magically cleaned up overnight, food doesn't prepare itself in the dining halls, and the thousands of other maintenance tasks that go on each day don't happen automatically. Instead, hundreds of Tufts-employed workers take on these tasks.
Though the daily work of students and staff certainly varies greatly, Tufts students and workers say they have no trouble coexisting on campus. Aside from the occasional case of a Hodgdon-Dewick trick-turn, the return of a damaged book, or general snippiness during study hours, both workers and students say they are treated with respect.
Tufts' service staff is a hybrid of student and adult workers who fulfill a variety of maintenance and service jobs. The maintenance workers are staffed by OneSource, a national custodial supplying company whose workers come into university residence halls daily, usually arriving in the early morning to clean the shared bathrooms, common rooms and hallways.
Students say they can attest to the overall friendliness of OneSource workers.
"I always say hi to them whenever I see them, and they often smile or wave, which is nice," freshman Lauren Lanster said, noting the awkwardness that can result from living in close quarters to maintenance workers doing their early-morning routine. "I just sometimes get a little creeped out when they wave to me and I'm in my towel on the way to the bathroom."
Some students are also sympathetic to the OneSource workers' arduous job of residence hall cleanup.
"I often see them in the lounge watching our TV, which is fine, because they are on their break," freshman Mimi Taskier said. "I would definitely want to do the same if I had to clean our hall's bathrooms."
Unlike the maintenance workers, the dining hall staff is entirely supplied by the Tufts University Dining Services (TUDS) workers, consisting of both adults and students. Because of the frequency of student dining hall visits, many students interact with the employees with an air of familiarity, creating a friendly relationship between the two.
"I think the people who work at Dewick are especially friendly," sophomore Mirian Diop said. "I've never seen a student be rude to them - that would be crazy because they are always so nice."
The employees themselves tend to have a similar attitude towards the students. According to Dewick employee Ellie Stevens, students tend to treat her well.
"I think the majority of the students are very pleasant," Stevens said. "I absolutely love working here."
Many students opt to work in the dining halls and campus cafes because other students assemble there, creating a social work environment.
"I like this job a lot because I get to see lots of people that I wouldn't otherwise get to see on a daily basis," freshman TUDS worker Jonah Gold said. "The dining hall is a place where people congregate."
Freshman Leigh Cooper agreed, explaining her social connection to staff workers. "Dining hall meals are a large part of my college existence," she said. "I always look forward to Sunday brunches, not only because I get to sit and chat with all my friends, but also because I get to see my friends who work there."
"I can always tell who is working according to what music is blasting from the Dewick dishwashing room," she added.
According to the staff members, the dining halls' mix of student and adult workers creates a bridge between the two groups.
. "I definitely talk with the adult workers; it's really interesting to find out how so many people ended up working at the same place," Gold said.
Gold added that Tufts also employs local high school students, who sometimes, due to their age, don't mix as well with the rest of the employees.
"I don't sense so much of a dichotomy between the Tufts student workers and the adult workers as I do between the college student workers and the local high school workers," he said.
At other on-campus eateries, like Hodgdon Good-To-Go, the atmosphere is similar. There, the adult workers tend to the cash registers, swiping student ID cards and encouraging students to purchase meals which maximize their dollar allotment - often by suggesting the addition of a granola bar or two - whereas student workers tend to work at the wrap, burrito, and Chinese food stations in the evenings after classes.
"Everyone at Hodgdon is really nice, and tries to make conversation and small talk whenever you order," freshman Jonathan Soriano said.
However, working on a college campus, which is beset with stressed students, can sometimes have its downsides.
"People are often a little grumpy during exams," said senior Lilin Yonekura who works at the Tower. "But usually, there are two kinds of people who I encounter while working - first there are the very friendly, courteous customers, and then there are the ones who order while on the cell phone, which we don't really appreciate too much."
