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FEATURES APRIL 6, 2006 - Page 5 ~~ Cfl tiOSe£onds Compiled by "Beating my fraternity broth- "Hang out, play some "Enjoy the beautiful weath- "Other than throwing the Kristin Lamb ers at golf - giggity, giggity." sports, and just have a good er, exercise outside, end host football, playing my guitar Junior Jason Fratto time and relax." cheerleading clinics." outside - giggity, giggity." Freshman Kelsey Lindholm Freshman Jennifer Beckwith Freshman Rob Holt While S~~ dS~~~Il!S~er!S~!~~tLoves To Chat DAVJR#S~~MAN Decker, moving one floor up Knight said the recurrence I _________ to ta~e care of the copy center caused her to report the proh- Joan Knight's work history and information technology rem 1'0 the office of Residence has taken her from the roIling offices. Life. conveyor belts of manufactur- Next, she dusts, vacuums LizTowle, associate dean of ing to the rolling hills of and deans the bathrooms for student affairs, viewed the McDaniel College, and from the whole of Decker's upper vandalism with Knight and building tanks to cleaning level, and then moves on to do posted a warning letter to the buildings. the same in Elderdicc. Elderdice residents that also Her current job as a house- As morning makes way into praised Knight as being "con- keeper at McDaniel has afternoon, Knight climbs the sdenttous." Knight starting her workday winding stairs of Elderdtce, "She docs all kinds of at the brink of dawn, when the the burgundy carpeting of things to make [the students'] sun and other people are just which matches the color of her living environment pleasant, rising. Yet on nearly every work shirt. It is upon reaching and this is what she deals weekday morning since the third floor; she said, that with," Towle said. November 2003, she has driv- she receives the greatest joy And dealing with the sltua- en the 30 minutes from provided by her job: talking tion in the men's room both- Woodbine, Md., to the with the dormitory residents. ered her, Knight said. McDaniel campus, beginning "The people are enjoyable, "I got really frustrated," she her shift at 6 a.m. and toiling because you get to talk to said. "l come in and try to do Joan Knight goes above and beyond the C~\! of duty. until 2:30 in the afternoon. them, and you get to know my job, and it is like, 'Why receives telephone calls from work at your own rate. As Yet while her duties include some of the people," Knight bother?'" the school staff praising her. long as I know I've done a tidying unsanitary restrooms said. "They become friends Yet Knight continued to "Many, many times I get good job, it's ell that matters." ~;~~~~~:~:~;~~~~f:'~O:~::,;;~:;;;:;,;~::::::=t,;;~;:;2~,;':;~;;:;S,1~~~:Z:~~~~;~:;,w;: immediately notice a few dis- vey of nine Elderdice rest- transferring the paper towels fthal gal above and beyond:' goes to beat shows with her tinguishing traits while she dents, Knight's affable nature from the floor to trash bags. Whelan said. "Joan used to husband, Dwight. Her four works: her constant smile and is the most recognized ele- Members of McDaniel's dean Forlines [House] - they children have grown up and her warm demeanor. ment of her character. staff said that the Elderdice just recently moved [their become parents, giving her six "She is very upbeat, very Students used terms such as vandalism was not the only offices] to Thompson Hall. grandchildren. pleasant," said TIna Nguyen, "caring," "very friendly," and occasion in which Knight sur- First thing out of their mouth After being laid off from her secretary for the first year "a sweetheart" to describe passed what was expected of is, 'Is Joan coming over?''' manufacturing job, Knight team, whose office is cleaned Knight's personality. her. While she is thankful for the said she enjoys being a house- by Knight. "She is always Unfortunately, Knight said, Nguyen, the first year team praise she receives, Knight keeper at McDaniel. She does cheerful, even when she is not Elderdice also provided her secretary, cited a day this past does not seek the awards or not know how much longer feeling well." sole aggravating experience as January when her office's commendations that have so she will continue to work Knight deans portions of a housekeeper when the paper shredder spewed its far avoided her. Instead, she here, but after the frenetic Rouzer Hall, Decker College men's restroom was repeated- contents all over the floor. relies on a work ethic that pace of factory work, she is in Center and Elderdice Hall, Iy vandalized over the course When Nguyen asked Knight comes from the 24 years she no hurry to leave. designing her routine around of several months last semes- where the vacuum could be spent building army tanks at "[Housekeeping] is not real- efficiency. To save time and ter, located, Knight instead the United Defense factory in Iy all that difficult, I guess, movement, she cleans her "On 0 regular basis, toilets retrieved the heavy contrap- York, Pa., just a few miles because of the [factory] job I assigned areas as she asce~ds in the men's bathroom were tion herself, carrying it down down the road from the town had," Knight said. "You through the conn,ected build- intentionally clogged, and two nights of stairs from the of Spring Grove, where she would have to lift like fifty . used and unused paper towels third floor of Elderdice. was raised. pounds, and constantly keep lOgs. First, Knight starts with were stre',;'n ~hroughout. the Mel Whelan, building serv- "You always had to push moving all the time. I just Cam us Safety on the lower bat~m, Said Kenn.y Dltt~, ices coordinator and Knight's and push to gel the stuff out," think this is a whole lot cast- p and then a semcr who has lived In supervisor, said he often she said. "I like that here, you cr." B~hIndBlockbuster Counter Encounters years, recalls this bizarre inci- specifically detailing one situ- make the rules or how the late CLAYTON ROSA dent: "Considering the situa- ation where a disgruntled cue- fee policy works. Therefore, STAFF WRITER tion, I should have been a lot tomer was unsatisfied with they tend to be rude and snap more scared than I was. But my performance then later back at you." The door swings open. A this was on the second night that night, called the 'Store Behind the counter encoun- customer walks in slowly, that I was closing as the man- complaining about that "black ters may range from a scuffle perusing through the mOVie ager on duty and the second man." between employee and cus- titles while the employees go time I've been involved in a "I have encountered quite tamer or to an armed robbery; about their work. Suddenly, robbery at Blockbuster, so I a lot of customers who come however, whatever the case two Blockbuster employeeS was more angry than any- in demanding some of the employees must keep thei; find themselves held up by a thing else." most awkward things from cool and present themselves in man with a prosthetiC arm and Christine's nightmarish the employees. It is unreason- a professional manner. experiences at Blockbuster able, and at times, unimagin- Customers today need to be a B8 ~n. d like something mirror much of the madness able," says Tara O'Reilly, aware of the patience that it taken st~~g~t from a comedy in retail sales. Assistant Manager of involves when working in a Unaware of the man's flick, doesn't it? Chr' tin prosthetic ann and fake gun, As an employee of Blockbuster. job that involves lots of cus- Maybe so, but IS e Christine, who has worked for Blockbuster, r have encoun- Christine emphasizes that tamer service, for in those dr- Beaver, McDaniel College s~- dent '09, share~ a real e::;d Blockbuster for nearly two tered racially intense provoca- "many customers don't realize cumstances, patience is truly a that the employees do not tions that tested my patience, virtue. ence that doesn t come P