A spring break story

Since I was on spring break I haven’t been to work, so I don’t have an update from behind the Coates desk. So, instead I will talk about my break. I went back to Houston on Friday. As soon as I got into town, my Mom picked me up and we went to my sister’s house where we ate pizza and hung out with my niece and nephew. They were incredibly entertaining. The weekend was spent shopping with my Mom and relaxing. The best thing about breaks are being able to catch up on sleep and see old friends, I did plenty of both. The Saturday I was supposed to return was my niece’s birthday. Unfortunately, it was a park birthday party and got rained out, but the kids still enjoyed themselves. By the time the party was over I was ready to go back to Trinity, so I was dropped off at my friend’s house and we headed back to school. The drive was very pleasant, because the rain had stopped and there was minimal traffic. On the way back we stopped at Bucees, which has become an amazing tradition, because the kolaches are delicious. So, happy and full we got to school at six, with plenty of time to unpack, and get ready for another week of work, school, and zeta chi orientation.

Time Sheets

In order to record the time we spent working for payroll purposes we are required to fill out a sheet. On the sheet we are told to record our student id, name, position held, and total amount of hours worked from Thursday of the first week until Wednesday two weeks after, we submit time sheets every two weeks. This is all fine, but I usually fail at getting them filled out. I work on Mondays, but a lot of the times I get caught up doing homework, and forget to double check if I have filled out all parts. If they see a blank on the sheet we don’t get paid until the next cycle, which can be quite frustrating. At the end of last semester I would choose a specific time during each cycle to go make sure, and it usually ended up being early in the morning. However, now the sheets have been relocated making it a bigger hassle to get to them at different times, and this semester has been so busy for me that sometimes I can’t even find a minute to go finish it. Going through orientation has forced me to stop procrastinating and start planning my time better.

Cutting Hours

I’ve recently had to cut my hours behind the Coates desk, due to pledging. In addition, I feel myself getting more and more distracted during work. I usually do my homework, but lately one of the things I used to love about my job (having people come visit) has been distracting me from the things I need to be doing. It’s usually not as important because I could always procrastinate and do my assignments later, but that is just not the case anymore. I don’t regret my decision to cut my hours in the least because it means more time with my friends and doing things I love, but less study time. However, all it means is that I can no longer procrastinate on my assignments, and it’s helping me learn better time management. For instance, now if I’m doing homework at Coates, and someone wants to come sit with me, I make sure to let them know that I will be doing my homework. It’s all about prioritization in life, something that is best to learn sooner rather than later. The time that I cut out of my schedule was my Thursday nine to midnight shift, which was no fun anyways.

Friends behind the info desk

My favorite thing about working behind the Coates Information Desk is having friends come visit me. They have been some of my favorite moments at Trinity, from the random dance parties to the interesting conversations we have had amidst the hustle and bustle of Trinity life. However, this semester has been quite different, my hours are at odd time and often I am sitting by myself, or at a time when people aren't walking by. This is the case lately, especially with all the Greek buzz on campus. I am rushing and this week has been silence, also known as the hardest thing ever! I actively have to stop myself from saying hello to my friends, and because I sit behind the desk I see them more than most others. So as I sit by myself, I am either setting up meeting rooms for Greek sororities and fraternities, doing homework, or thinking about how I'm going to get a bid. Needless, to say it's been a stressful week as a result. I can't wait for it to be over. In addition, the weather had been dismal at best, causing Trinity students to be grumpier and more wet than usual, making my job harder.

Meeting people

As student manager at the Coates desk it is my job to assist those with questions, as well as to set up the various meeting rooms when necessary. At the very beginning of last year I was told that of all the employment opportunities available at Trinity (for students) this one was one of the most coveted. So of course I made sure I hurried to be one of the first people to be interviewed for the position, and fortunately for me I got it! Ever since then, I have had quite a few memorable interactions with the students and faculty at Trinity, prospies, and visitors as well. Life behind the information desk gives you an entirely different perspective of Trinity, and it’s an excellent place to meet people. Just the other day it was pouring outside and I was attempting to focus on my psychology textbook, when someone randomly came up and started a conversation with me. Pleasantly surprised, it turns out we had a lot in common, and I’ve been seeing her around campus ever since. I meet and see so many people, and it’s nice to have such a great opportunity to be able to sit and study, while increasing my group of friends.