Published by the students of Xavier University since 1915 Fiat justitia, ruat coelum
Volume CI Issue 18
January 27, 2016
Caf employee’s dismissal prompts pushback
BY TATUM HUNTER Editor-in-Chief Ray Johnson took to social media on Jan. 10 to protest his suspension from his job as a cafeteria worker at Hoff Dining Commons. “I do not feel the need to bottle myself up for an institution whose founding principles are: Education, diversity and service,� Johnson wrote in a Facebook post providing the Xavier Auxiliary Services email and asking students and coworkers to show their support. The post did not go unnoticed by students, with 120 likes and 39 comments expressing support for Johnson. However, personnel decisions in Hoff are not made at the university’s discretion. Chartwells, the third-party company that operates Hoff, is still in the process of terminating Johnson’s employment. Johnson worked at Hoff for three years before he was suspended for what managers deemed disruptive and inappropriate behavior in the workplace. But tension between Johnson and his managers had been building for some time, he said. The causes of the tension, according to Johnson, were his complaints about payroll inaccuracies, his frustration with the lack of upward mobility for employees and his interactions with students. Johnson said Hoff managers verbally told employees to refrain from attending campus events like speaker series and theatre shows. He also said that the employees’ pay stubs were consistently inaccurate and that he was not paid for the overtime he worked. “I’m just the one that no-
ticed,â€? Johnson said regarding the alleged inaccuracies, “People started bringing me their pay stubs for me to check.â€? A confrontation in the workplace between Johnson and Hoff manager Ed DeVoid was the cause of the suspension, according to Johnson. He said the confrontation stemmed from his complaints about the payroll. Johnson received multiple written warnings about his workplace behavior before the confrontation occurred. DeVoid declined to comment on the incident since the Midwest Food Service Workers Union is still investigating Johnson’s termination as part of an appeal process. “It’s really hard not to say anyWKLQJ EXW , FDQ¡W MXVW SXOO KLV Ă€OH and say ‘Here’s a thing, here’s a thing, here’s a thing.’ This was all VXSSRVHG WR EH FRQĂ€GHQWLDO $QG by taking to social media, he ruined that,â€? DeVoid said. $W Ă€UVW 'H9RLG VDLG WKDW Hoff employees should not be on campus if they’re not at work and should steer clear of social engagements with students, adding that those situations “always HQG EDGO\ Âľ +H WKHQ FODULĂ€HG WKDW employees are allowed to attend cultural and educational events on campus. DeVoid said that employees are encouraged to interact with students, but are discouraged from any behavior that might make students feel “uncomfortable.â€? “Something like saying hi, asking how classes are going, that’s Ă€QH %XW ZKHQ LW JHWV LQWR WKLQJV OLNH KXJV DQG Ă€VW EXPSV ZH GRQ¡W really want that,â€? DeVoid said. “Sometime that humor doesn’t cross the line well. Students will email me because they’ve been
destroyed by some comment an employee made. (Employees) DUHQ¡W KHUH WR Ă€QG D FLUFOH RI friends. It’s a job.â€? No other employees have lodged complaints about payroll, and no employees have been shorted, DeVoid said. “Mistakes happen. But our default is to go with what the employee says,â€? he said. DeVoid also said that Chartwells does offer its entry-level employees opportunities for advancement. “There is equal opportunity for everyone. If you want it, it can happen. If you want my job, come and get it,â€? he said. Chartwells contracts with Xavier Auxiliary Services to operate Hoff, and cafeteria workers are Chartwells employees. The university has not independently operated the cafeteria for more than 30 years. Director of Auxiliary Services Jude Kiah said that Xavier has a thorough vetting process to make sure the third-party companies it contracts with share the university’s values. He added that any claims that Hoff employees are not welcome to attend campus events are “categorically false.â€? “It’s the other way completely. I want them to come to events and feel part of the community,â€? he said. Kiah said the directives Hoff employees receive about their interactions with students are not problematic. “None of our people are instructed on how to deal with students. They’re instructed on how to deal with customers,â€? he said, noting that Hoff has sold 1300 meal plans to people living off campus. Lack of upward mobility within Hoff is caused by lack of
BY ERICA LAMPERT Staff Writer Due to the decline of Xavier’s student-run theatre group, Xavier Players, improv troupe Toolbox LV VWHSSLQJ XS WR Ă€OO WKH YRLG The idea for Toolbox originally stemmed from Xavier Players. Players had been around for roughly 15 years and reached 140 members in 2013. After the genesis of the Theatre Department that year, students stopped signing up. It was only able to conduct two shows last year due to poor planning and participation within the group. “Toolbox is all that’s really left of Xavier Players,â€? co-Director of Toolbox and Newswire staff writer Henry Eden said. “There was just too many issues with Xavier Players existing alonside the Theatre Department. Players
rehearsals would be at the same time as rehearsals for the department’s shows, understandably reducing attendance.� Toolbox focuses on short improv games and audience involvement. “We want to give our audience that Comedy Central feeling when they come to see us perform,� Toolbox co-Director Tyler Ferrari said. “We plan on having a ton of shows, to develop a large audience and show Xavier and the community around us that we are more than just a small improv group.� The goal of Toolbox was to put together a troupe that seeks to improve its improv techniques and bring laughter to its audiences. “This whole program has had little improvement and is very
quiet, however our ending goal is to get the Xavier community to say, ‘Let’s go see a Toolbox show.’â€? Eden said. Ferrari and Eden are planning on having a show at least once a month that may involve performances with Xavier’s Don’t Tell Anna (DTA). “We want to entertain students, and have their own suggestions come to life within our short game segments,â€? Eden said. “They won’t be too complicated, and they’re short and quick. All we want is to grab the people’s attention while we are having fun.â€? 7KHLU Ă€UVW SHUIRUPDQFH LV DW 9 p.m. on Jan. 30 at Long Recital Hall in Edgecliff. There is no admission charge in order to encourage Xavier students and community members to attend.
Toolbox primed for return
interest in managerial positions, Kiah said. In the last 10 years, only one entry-level employee applied for a management position, and that applicant withdrew. Kiah attributed this to the high likelihood that managers will be transferred to different locations, adding that many employees don’t have the educational qualLĂ€FDWLRQV WR SXUVXH PDQDJHULDO roles. “If I sensed even an iota of ‘No you’re done and we won’t let you be that,’ I wouldn’t let that happen,â€? he said. “We have WR WDNH DIĂ€UPDWLYH VWHSV WR PDNH sure that we do our very best to develop the people and make sure they have the potential and skills to rise in their careers. We would never sponsor or endorse our contractors doing business contrary to those principles.â€? Xavier President Fr. Michael Graham declined to comment on Xavier’s relationship with Chartwells or the dynamics among workers, managers and students in Hoff. Hoff employee Michael W. has worked at the cafeteria for 18 years. He said that he gets along well with coworkers and students and that, while problems with payroll occur, they are HDVLO\ Ă€[HG +H VDLG KH ZRXOG feel comfortable attending events on campus, although he doesn’t make it to many. “I’ve been invited to a lot of (events),â€? he said. “But I don’t know when I’m going to be on campus.â€? Yolanda O., another Hoff employee, sang a different tune. “They’re always saying you can’t do anything with the students. I don’t feel welcome to do anything at Xavier except cook the food and go home. That’s how they make me feel.
7KDW \RX¡UH QRW DIĂ€OLDWHG SUHWW\ much.â€? Yolanda said that if an employee goes to management with a complaint about payroll inaccuracies, management does QRW Ă€[ WKH SUREOHP LQ D WLPHO\ manner. She added that if Hoff employees work catering gigs in Cintas, they sometimes do not receive the catering wage they are promised. “There is no room for growth,â€? she said. “The managers will refer to us workers as ‘the help.’â€? Directives about interacting with students can be confusing and contradictory, Yolanda said. “We’re supposed to talk with them or what not. We’re not supposed to touch them. But some students will walk up and hug you. What are you supposed to do, push them away? It’s double jeopardy. You want me to talk to them and love them, but they can’t embrace me? I don’t get that. And there’s really nobody that you can tell something to and get something done.â€? Yolanda said that Ray Johnson was well liked by most of his coworkers. “He’s the kind of guy that asks a lot of questions and calls (the managers) out on it. They wanted to get rid of him,â€? she said. Although many students have demanded Johnson’s return on social media, Johnson said that largely, Xavier students remain uninterested in the lives of the people who work on campus because these issues do not affect students directly. “It takes distractions,â€? he said. “But if at the end of the day, students get to where they want to get to, that’s all that matters to them.â€?
Photo courtesy of Toolbox
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“If people want to feel joy and happiness, then they really need to come join us Saturday,â€? )HUUDUL VDLG ´7KLV LV OLNH WKH Ă€UVW HSLVRGH RI D QHZ 1HWĂ L[ VHULHV — people have to go and leave their legacy.â€? While Players’ decline is a disappointment to some, Toolbox is excited for this new troupe that
came together, Eden said. Auditions for the group are closed until the beginning of next school year. Out of the 25 who tried out this year, only eight were cast. Ferrari and Eden encourage those who want to be involved to follow the group on Facebook and Twitter and come to the shows.