Jacob Fuhrer |
They clean our toilets, vacuum our classrooms in the middle of the night and empty our trash. Some wash our dishes and cook for us every day. Others fix broken appliances and repair the leaks in the oldest buildings on campus.
Most of us may not pay them much attention. But this week, one group of students did.
On Monday, workers from Physical Plant and Bon Appetit received handwritten thank you notes and gifts as a show of appreciation for their work in the UP community.
Organized by the student group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), the gesture of gratitude led up to Cesar Chavez Day on March 31. Chavez was known for his activism and civil rights leadership, especially among farmworkers.
“He helped vulnerable workers to give them a voice and to speak up and give them the justice they deserve,” senior sociology major Rumika Suzuki said. “Many workers (at UP) are not from the U.S. Maybe this fact is not known to students.”
Suzuki, a member of MEChA, says busy students may not have time to think and appreciate what workers do to keep campus running.
That’s why she and about 16 others, including MEChA presidents Susana Medrano and Cecilia Cortez, both juniors, spent hours writing notes and wrapping 250 mugs containing tea, candy and granola bars to give to workers.
In the notes, volunteers and MEChA members wrote phrases like “We appreciate all the hours of work you put into this campus” and “This campus wouldn’t function without your work, thank you.”
Suzuki stressed the importance of showing appreciation for all workers, even those that students don’t often see, such as night shift workers.
As Physical Plant workers picked up their gifts on Monday, many were visibly thankful for the group’s effort and repeatedly thanked the group members in the room.
This is the second time the club has organized gifts for Physical Plant and Bon Appetit, and MEChA president Susana Medrano says the group hopes to continue. She says MEChA is not solely for Latino students but rather anyone interested in social justice and empowering others.
MEChA hosts discussions and documentaries, organizes volunteer opportunities and is working to start a mentoring program aimed at encouraging higher education in younger generations. Jacob Fuhrer is a reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached at fuhrer17@up.edu or on twitter @jacobfuhrer.
