In America we demand excellent customer service when we go out to spend money on goods and services. In my opinion, this situation should be the same here at Prairie View A&M University. When you listen to Dr. Wright speak about his expectations of faculty and staff, I often wonder is this just going in one ear and out the other? It seems that customer service here on the “Hill” has failed so many of its students time and time again.
For example I am typing this article at 12:45 p.m. and I have already had over five bad incidents in customer service here today. For example after driving 30 minutes to school this morning from Houston, I arrived on campus to come and sit down for breakfast in the MSC Dining Hall.
When I finally got to the front of the line after waiting for six minutes a lady said, “Their ain’t no bacon so y’all gonna have to eat this turkey meat, or just wait?” Not only was I insulted by her tone of voice and horrible use of the English language, I was just thinking, Where do they get these people? After finally getting the bacon I proceeded to find a seat most of which were dirty.
When along with several other students I attempted to sit in an empty section of the cafeteria a lady who was supposed to be cleaning the tables felt the need to yell, “This section is closed!!” Looking at the facial expressions of students I could tell they felt just like me-pissed off, and uncomfortable in their own cafeteria in a building that they are paying for.
As I tried to finish my meal it was approaching ten minutes after 10, and the same lady told people that they need to start taking their dishes to the dish return. We, as students, pay ungodly amounts for meal plans, and Panther passes, so we should demand excellent customer service when we are spending our, or in some of our cases our parent’s, money here.
Often times students go to departments such as financial aid, parking, and the University Village and encounter some of the most ignorant, incompetent, unfitting, and just down right unprofessional people and attitudes.
If we as students demand customer service when we are off campus eating out, or shopping, then we need to demand it here where the bulk of our money goes.
As Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta journal Constitution said about the poor in the wake of Hurricane Katrina “the poor didn’t deserve this,” I end by saying “Panthers don’t deserve this.”
-Terrance Gilbert