“There’s a time a for joy
A time for tears
A time we’ll treasure through the years
We’ll remember always
Graduation day”
‘Graduation Day’ was a hit single for the Four Freshmen in 1956 and then covered by the Beach Boys in 1964.
The version by the Beach Boys is the one I remember best.
We had come to New York for Steph’s graduation and had no idea what to expect.
Graduations aren’t that big a deal in Australia and both Hayden and Even had missed theirs entirely.
Steph had just completed a two years Masters at Columbia University Teachers College (TC).
My vision, probably developed from 1960s US sitcoms, was of students, dressed in black academic gowns, throwing their mortar boards in the air at the conclusion of the ceremony.
There was much more to it than that.
My first big surprise was that the Columbia graduates didn’t wear a black gown, but sky blue.
The celebrations and presentations went on for three days. There were welcome drinks for the International Students and their families and friends on one night. This was followed the next day by the Masters presentation, called the Convocational, at St John the Divine. It was preceded by a light lunch and followed by a dessert of strawberries dunked in chocolate and chocolate chip cookies.
The following day was the ‘big one’.
It was called the ‘Commencement of 2017′ celebrations, however it was really the conclusion of the 2017 academic year.
It was attended by a crowd of over 30,000 guests and students, sitting in the hot sun, with most having no shade, not even a hat. That is apart from those clever people who improvised with headwear made from the Columbia newspaper.
It was huge.
It took close to two hours for everyone to be seated and the academic staff to parade in.
The speeches, awards and confirmation of degrees took another few hours.
Finally, when it was all over, I waited for the mass mortar board toss.
It didn’t really happen.
The biggest surprise to me was the tone of the speakers.
Without every mentioning his name ‘The Donald’ and his administration was put down in every conceivable way.
The President of Columbia, Lee C Bollinger, led the charge by reminding the graduates that they would always remember the graduation of 2017 as a dark year in the history of the US.
Another fascinating part of the event was discovering the history, and culture, of the Teachers College.
The Teachers College was founded in 1887 by Grace Hoadley Dodge. Today it has over 90,000 alumni in 30 countries.
It was the world’s first Teachers College and incorporated the study of educational psychology and educational sociology. It was also mindful of the vast number of immigrants entering the US and tried to incorporate their special needs in the teacher training. The founders insisted that ethics and the nature of ‘good society’ should also be a part of the curriculum.
No wonder both the college and the university are at odds with the Washington administration.
Whatever happened to service?
Friday, June 30th, 2017Ever since the post Second World War boom in consumerism, the customer has always been placed first in the US.
“The customer is always right”, was the catchphrase
Now, “Put profit first”, takes that mantle.
Auto manufacturers lost the plot in Detroit during the 80s by building cars they wanted, and ignored their customers needs. Now the service industry has done the same.
Service appears top of mind when you are in restaurants and hotels but it’s very far from reality.
Everything is done for the convenience, and profit, of the establishment, not for the benefit of the customer.
If you don’t order enough you’re frowned upon. At the Biltmore Estate we were literally scowled at for not ordering a full meal each. Thea had a side-salad and soft drink and I had a coffee, as I don’t usually eat lunch.
Their issue was the bigger the bill the greater the tip and we therefore didn’t warrant the effort.
In most Brewpubs we visited in the eastern US, you couldn’t carry your bill from the bar to the restaurant. Why? Both the bar staff and the ‘wait staff’ need to have their separate tips.
The same happens at the end of a shift. You are rushed to finish your meal so the staff can close your account and get the tips earned during their shift.
This isn’t about you, but all about the staff making tips and the restauranteur making profit.
The tipping regime is out of control.
Most ‘wait staff’ get the standard rate of $2.13 per hour – this is below the poverty line. They ultimately hope to make about $25 per hour, which comes from tips.
In effect you are paying their wage, not their employer.
Most restaurants include a ‘suggested tip’ on your bill this starts at 18% and goes as high as 35%.
Then taxes are included before the tip is calculated.
Your hotel room won’t get serviced, unless you ask. There are no longer, ‘Please clean my room’ hangers to put on the door.
The excellent concept of not changing sheets and towels every day has been extended to no service at all. Beds aren’t made, floors aren’t vacuumed, even the bathroom isn’t cleaned.
This has nothing to do with the environment, they do this to cut down on staff.
Everything is plastic and disposable.
Most cafés don’t offer anything but disposable cups, plates and cutlery, which you are expected to clear away when you are finished. However the counter staff still expect a tip.
The cost of the disposable crockery and cutlery is offset by not having to employ staff to clear tables and wash dishes, at $2.13 per hour.
Again the customer loses out.
At breakfast, In most hotels and motels, even the milk for your coffee only comes in half pint (236ml) containers.
Most people only use a fraction of the contents, the rest goes in the bin.
In effect service has gone into the trash, along with everything else.
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