This is my thank-you letter to the union workers who made my years as a student at UCLA from 1987-1992 a safe and comfortable time.
I came to Westwood as a freshman from Orange County who had never lived away from home. Dorm life was intimidating to me and honestly, a little scary. The fourth floor of Dykstra Hall was full of enthusiastic people who would become lifelong friends, but their life skills were on par with mine.
There were many homey details that seemed invisible, yet without them, the dorm would not have been a welcoming place. The floors were clean, the toilets scrubbed and the large showers were spotless.
The detail-oriented and experienced staff from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who provides these basics, needs to be retained to make the campus a true home.
On one occasion, I dropped a cherished travel souvenir earring down a bathroom drain, and a maintenance man opened up the pipe and retrieved the earring. I am still grateful for this worker who went beyond his normal duties. I wonder if a worker like this will have time to help a freshman if his co-workers are furloughed and the staff is diminished.
The cafeteria food was always hot and ready on time, and sometimes flourishes were added which made the dish seem like something mom would make. When my geology class took a Saturday trip to see the San Andreas Fault, the dorm cafeteria workers packed me a sack lunch that was so overflowing and fresh, you would have thought a doting aunt had made it for me. I wonder if the food will be as lovingly prepared as layoffs are made.
There were times when students would venture down to Westwood and then to a keg party on Gayley Avenue. After returning to Dykstra Hall, one of us would end up losing our Falafel King dinner in the bathroom at midnight. The vomit was always cleaned from the bathroom floors and toilets as if magic elves had come in the night. It was this unseen care of the workers that made the students know they were safely at home.
UCLA offered this service to me and the other residence hall students for less than $500 per month in the 1987-1988 school year. This bargain will never happen again.
State fee increases are going sky high. These increases should be used, in part, to retain the excellent staff from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees so that the next generation of newbies will know they are in welcoming hands.
Linda Saslow was the Daily Bruin Viewpoint Editor for the 1990-1991 school year.