With one full week of the semester already under our belts, it’s easy to get back into the swing of things with attending classes, going to meetings, and doing homework. Now it seems that you can add waiting in lines to that list as well, especially at dinner in all three of the campus dining locations. I personally don’t think waiting in line is such a big deal as some people make it seem, but sure enough those same lines are always filled with some loud-mouth who thinks he or she is too good to be standing in line. Let’s address some of these issues now shall we. It’s early enough in the semester to stop the complaining about petty things.

I live on campus, I eat campus food, and I have my own share of complaints about how some things are handled just like everyone else does. But it seems that this past week has been full of people who are unhappy about the dining situations on this campus. But it’s not the majority of people who are unhappy, just the select few who seem to have named themselves above all others and who voice their loud opinions about their unhappiness. What are they unhappy about? It’s not the food. It’s not the price (by now we have accepted that everything here costs what it costs and we can either pay to eat it or starve). The complaints stem from the service, the lines, the wait, and just what many could call “incompetence.”

I go to these same locations as everyone else on this campus: Bartels, Sandellas, and New Hall. I wait in those same lines, and yes, many of those times it takes longer than it should to get my order. My order may even be lost or prepared incorrectly. I understand that these circumstances are unacceptable, but they happen, especially when the dining locations are crowded at certain times during dinner. Imagine if it was you working there; orders come faster than you can prepare them, you try to keep track of all of the receipts so you don’t lose one, and you try to remember if the last order was extra beans or no beans on that BBQ Bowl. It’s stressful for those working behind the counter. They DON’T intentionally try to upset you.

This past week alone I have seen the people who work to serve this campus its food treated with disrespect, by students who are just plain rude to them. I’ve seen students crowding these locations, glaring that the workers who rush to prepare their food. I’ve seen people get angry and yell when their order isn’t finished in fifteen minutes or they didn’t get as much extra ranch as they asked for. I’ve seen people storm off with their food, grabbing it as they get it without so much as a thank you. Add all of that to the dirty looks, eye-rolls, and bad mouthing the staff, and it makes me wonder what some of you act like outside of school.

I know all of these locations are crowded and the lines are long. I know that sometimes it takes longer for your food to get there than others. And I understand that it is frustrating when your order is completed incorrectly. However, there is never a need to be outright rude and obnoxious to people. If your food seems to be taking longer than normal, ask politely if it’s being prepared. If your order is made incorrectly, let them know nicely. I know they will gladly take it back to remake it, but you have to understand that that does involve waiting some more. Be understanding that you are not the only one on this campus. If you want to lesson your hassle at dinner time, go to dinner earlier or closer to closing. And just be courteous to the people who work here. If it was you, I doubt that you would appreciate that kind of attitude.