The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Media Credit: Nick Selm/The University News [Click to enlarge]

There is an epidemic spreading at our school, common among us students lost in what we're doing, afraid to step out of our shell and unwilling to be open to new concepts. Most commonly accompanied by symptoms of lack of concern for others, way too much to do or simply a general fear of other people, this epidemic is in danger of wiping out our entire sense of civic responsibility and compassion for others.

Yes, this epidemic is blindness. It's spreading not only through our University community, but through the St. Louis community at large, the Midwest as a whole, and-dare I say-the entire country. Here at SLU, however, a small group of students is looking to make a drastic change to stop this epidemic in its tracks.

Weary of the epidemic and ready to fight for our right to see, this group of students proposed a new holiday, of sorts, aimed at broadening not only our sight, but our awareness and sensibilities toward others in an effort to permanently eradicate the "sin of omission" from our collective vocabulary.

This small group, in hopes of beating this deadly illness before it's engrained so deeply in our everyday lives that it overshadows the "for others" clause of our Jesuit souls, will participate in the first ever "Hug a Maintenance Worker Day" this Friday. This is the first holiday at SLU that will finally appreciate all those that do the unseen but vital work of cleaning up after us on the weekends, keeping the halls of our residences spotless, planting the flowers for which our campus is well-known, cleaning up the cigarette butts so beautifully adorning our statues and stairways and cooking and serving the food that sustains us...and all with a smile.

This week, this small group of students is calling all students to smile back when you pass a maintenance worker, to say a quick and friendly "hello," and get to know a quick something about them. Maybe ask them about their kids, tell them something about your life, or just simply give them a quick squeeze with a heartfelt "thanks" for putting up with all of our messes. Considering all of the times that we encounter them in our paths every day, there's really no reason that we shouldn't be on a first-name basis with every one of the people working in our classrooms and dorms, especially with all that they do for us.

For example: Meet Al Tanner. He is an Aries born in 1944, originally from St. Louis and has three kids. All three are now married, and Tanner spends most of his time working around the house and in the Marchetti Towers. He's been working at SLU now for about 11 years, and when asked about his main line of work here at SLU, he responded, "I just fix a lot of stuff." You can usually find him in his shop in the basement of Marchetti West when he's not solving mechanical problems, so stop on by and see what he has to say (Hint: ask him about the stock market.)

This Friday, Feb. 4, from dawn until dusk, let's expand our vision and hug a maintenance worker. We're all people, here for different reasons, but on the same path, so why not get to know some of those walking beside us? Put it on your calendar, and while you're at it tomorrow, go ahead and say a quick, "Hey, how ya doin'" to anyone else who you wouldn't normally talk to: Friday's our free pass.

Let's get this epidemic under control before it's too late. "Hug a Maintenance Worker Day" is something small, but it requires us to open our eyes during a very selfish time in our lives to see beyond our own hopes and dreams for a split-second. This holiday may be a single-day event, but I hope that the spirit behind it will give us a hint of what a broader vision can do for all of us. Isn't this all-inclusive vision at the heart of our Jesuit mission to be men and women for others?

Join this small group of students looking to make a big change, see beyond the artificial bounds we put between ourselves and others, and hug a maintenance worker or anyone else that you may be overlooking on your daily commute.

Nathan Byrd is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences

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