Event Services Appreciation Post

Today's blog comes from a suggestion
via my very good friend and writing buddy
@Dry1313 on Twitter who simply wrote: Event Services.

For those of you who don't know,
Event Services is the department I work for on campus.
I've talked about them sparingly on the blog,
but I've never mentioned them by name before.
However, I'd like to take today to express my thanks.

I started working for Event Services May of 2009.
One of my roommates that year who worked for them
suggested I apply for a summer position
since I didn't want to go back to Jersey.
I have to say, the yearn to not return home
never yielded better results.

These past three years working for Events has been majestic.
I never realized how much work goes into
setting up and running a concert, lecture, or summer orientation
until I joined the team.
Granted, working those long hours
on mandatory calls all day and night Saturday
can bring even the happiest camper down,
there's always great coworkers to cheer you up.

That's really what this post is about.
I've made some of my best friends working for Events,
from a Theatre buddy I got to live with and grow closer with
to a guy who I share a love of video games and relate to emotional
to the friend I talked about in Friday's post
to my favorite white girl whose apartment I'm writing this in.
And of course there are many others who I'm glad to have met
and can't wait to see again.

While working during the year is cool, working during the summer is what I always look forward to,
maybe because that's when I start
but it's genuinely a great time
despite the hell we go through in June with freshmen orientations.
There are barberques and group "powwows" and much more bonding. It was during my first Events summer that I built a tolerance/taste for beer.
This can be seen as a good and bad thing,
but I just see it as allowing me to be more social.

Of course, from actually working as well
I learned a bit of leadership and responsibility,
especially over the past two years
with hoards of new faces coming and leaving our staff.
I like to think they mildly look up to me
like I admired the graduating seniors my first summer.

The thing I love most about working for Event Service
is that we basically are a family.
Even once you graduate,
you're always welcome to come back and work.
Ok, that doesn't sound as glamorous as I thought,
but trust me, it's a warm feeling to have.

The full timers on staff help foster this.
They're all charismatic and helpful.
A few of them I would even consider friends.
They're actually the only people on campus
I allow to call me Chuck.
It usually sounds ugly and mangled when others say it,
yet when they use it I just feel called to attention.
Even in the beginning when I didn't talk much,
I felt as if they got me.
I think that's part of the reason I stayed on staff.

For the longest time
I was afraid of my boss.
He is a fairly intimidating man;
he demands respect and pristine work.
But he also willing to crack a joke or two
when tensions aren't too high
or when an event is running smoothly.
I've even seen his compassionate side on a couple of occasions,
namely when I took a leave of absence around this time last year.
He assured me I'd still have a spot when I returned.
That's the essence of family I mentioned before.

Honestly, I don't think I could have asked for a better campus job.
I doubt any other student staffed department is as close-knit as us.
I mean, we live and work together over the summer;
you can't get any closer than that.
Word.