OCR Text |
Show 5 Tuesday, March 25,2008 OPINION www.dailyutahchronicle.com First impressions will often last forever eople make statements views as an important part of the quite frequently that start overall hiring process. But lunch interviews aren't just with, "You can tell everything about a person by their..." opportunities for you to display Well, I believe you can tell al- your salad-fork-distinguishing talmost everything about people ents and potentially lose the job by mistreating by how they the wait staff. treat other They're also people — opportunities especially to check out people who ANASTASIA your potential serve them. NlEDRICH employer and The weeksee if they're end before the kind of St. Patrick's ^ person you'd Day, I took a trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., to visit like to work for. I've had a few jobs, and as a a law school to which I've been accepted. While I was there, I vegetarian, accommodation of met numerous other students my alternate eating lifestyle is an and forged some friendships important workplace factor for with them that I hope will last me. Although such accommodathroughout the entirety of our tion might not be relevant to a meat-eating job seeker, it matters legal careers. A weekend is hardly long to me whether I will be able to go enough to get to know someone to work parties or events and find well—but as I said, I believe that anything to eat or not. I knew I'd you can tell almost everything found a great place to work when . about people by how they treat my current employer invited me people serving them. If that's the to a lunch interview and asked case, based on my experiences whether I had any dietary restricgoing out to eat with them, I tions or preferences. That type believe I chose my new friends of consideration and accommodation wasn't the only thing that well. I'm not the only one who be- mattered to me, but it was cerlieves in the foretelling abilities tainly a factor. of lunch experiences, either. So, prospective applicants A new trend in business is the stand to learn quite a bit about lunch interview. The lunch inter- their prospective employers, just view can take one of two forms: as the employers stand to learn a job interview over lunch or a things about them. lunch that takes place after a job Having worked in fast food interview in the office. Both types for four years, I think it's safe to of interviews serve the same pur- say I've seen almost every type pose: they allow your interviewer of food customer there is. I was to get to know you better by how treated wonderfully and respectyou act, eat and treat service per- fully by some customers and as sonnel during lunch. though I was a worthless idiot Collette Murray, chairwoman by others. I know how it feels of the Association of Fundrais- to be on the opposite side of the ing Professionals, is one such order. business professional who conThe world of business and ducts lunch inthe faces of terviews with — . the people that these aims. serve us change Collette asserts every day, but ltisa"no-brainer" that "Frankly, one thing does there are some that businesses want remain the people out there same—the ' h i P " who would not people who aren't rude man interac-get high marks tion component on their social to work for them, and of all business graces. It's imtransactions. portant to find lunch interviews are one This may that out. People all seem so of the best ways to figure can be rude to simple and uta server, and it terly unworthy such things out. shows how they of discussion treat people." in a Daily Utah During her many years con- Chronicle column, but I believe ducting lunch interviews, Col- the little things, such as how lette has seen everything from you treat people every day, are people who talk with their mouth important and indicative of full to people who will start eat- the type of person you are. We ing before the rest of the table is could probably all use a gentle served. She says that it is a "no- reminder to treat others as brainer" that businesses want we'd like to be treated now and people who aren't rude to work then—especially because such for them and lunch interviews lessons are becoming increasare one of the best ways to figure ingly valuable in business and elsewhere. such things out. Although a bad lunch interview So, next time you go out to might not cost an applicant the lunch with friends, prospective job, it can certainly weigh heav- employers or anyone else, make ily in the minds of the job recruit- sure you remember the Golden ers conducting the interviews. Rule and treat those you interHowever, Susan Brown, a human act with as you'd want to be resources director of a large na- treated. tional company, has stated that letters@ her business views lunch interchronicle.utah.edu P RYAN COLLETT/f/if OafyUtahOtio-tidt Presidential candidates are good, but not godly We should be critical of those running for office cal equivalent of the second coming of "like the occasional and predictChrist, but I have some long-overdue able bout of optimism that every advice for anyone ready to attack me .election cycle instills in Amerifor voting my mind: A politician is just cans. Like clockwork, we herald the LAUREN that, regardless of a finely tuned camopportunity to undo the mistakes of MUELLER paign slogan. ...... the last few years, find an appropriately affable candidate and get to the They're candidates for office, not business of rallying support, hope and sainthood. Neither is perfect, nor are votes. their records—private or public—unIt won't be like last time. This year tional stage but demi gods endowed blemished. I'm not a defeatist just because I is going to be different. We'll hoist with the power to heal at the touch of don't espouse any grand illusions that elusive—even mythical—com- a finger. bination of politician and human beI like Obama's politics, mostly. I read about the power of either Democratic ing onto our shoulders and leave the his book, and it was pretty good—pret- candidate. I have my favorite, and I'll empty promises and political pander- .ty long, too, but good, nonetheless. He cast my vote, but if she wins, I won't ing to the other party. This year is our seems like a stand-up guy with a smart expect the sun to shine any brighter. The war will still year. wife and an even ~~ have gone on for speech I've watched the historic candida- smarter cies of all three presidential hopefuls writer, but I voted years at the cost of with interest and excitement, like most for Clinton in the hundreds of thouIt's like, overnight, these Americans. And yes, I said all three, primary. sands of lives, our because despite John McCain's obvieconomy will still be I weighed my op- politicians have morphed ous white-guy handicap, the reanima- tions, and I made suffering from the tion of the lifeless senator deserves a my choice. But if I into not our representation lessons we failed to nod. learn in 1929 and my try telling that to a neighbors will still Over the seemingly endless months group of registered on the national and play their horrible of campaigning, the extent to which voters aged 18 to international stage but music at a deafening the average American has elevated 30,1 get the kind of volume. the Democratic candidates has been stares that suggest demi gods endowed with astounding, with particular respect I have an ObamaDon't let enthuto Barack Obama. Conversely, the vo- shaped hole in my the power to heal at the siasm for any one raciousness with which voters have chest where my candidate cloud your touch of a finger. demonized their candidates' opposi- soul should be. political vision. Polition, regardless of party affiliation, is ticians deserve our I don't know _ _ — equally impressive. when half the coundoubt—it'll make It's like, overnight, these politicians try's Democrats got together and de- them work just that much harder. have morphed into not our represen- cided that Barack Obama's bid for the letters@ tatives on the national and interna- presidency was going to be the politichronicle.utah.edu Tuition increases aren't a 'good deal' for us ' t's best for students not to have a large tuition in. crease," Student Body President Spencer Pearson said. "But it's reasonable to expect at least the rate of inflation—which is about 4 percent—and the U is only 2 (percent) above that." I would have liked to hear more used-car sales pitches from Pearson, but he was too busy wagging his tail and rolling over for the U administrators. It's only 2 percent—a steal. Two hundred fifty-six dollars and 20 cents more a semester sounds like a lot, but it only comes to $2.14 a day. Think about it—just cut out a couple cups of coffee a day, and you can drive off the lot with a shiny new higher education and be on the road to a brighter tomorrow. I have thought about it. Every student should. I've been working out the numbers with my TI-84 ($109) while sitting in my dank basement apartment ($350 a month). Now, as I write this column on my bottom feeder of a laptop ($500, used, on Craigslist), I feel the need to frivolously drown my sorrows (12-pack of Pabst, $6.99). "Ii Coffee is the least of our worries. The university might be the vehicle we need to reach our destination, but the new-car smell is starting to wear off. Back in 2002, U administrators and the Board of Regents passed a 9.3 percent increase in tuition—a raise of $142 a semester. "What I see is that we are starting to slide into mediocrity," Regent George Mantes said. "Let's start charging what the product is really worth." In 2003, U administrators and the Board of Regents passed a 9.5 percent increase in tuition and fees—a raise of $159 a semester. "I have two choices," said Dave Pershing, senior vice president of academic affairs. "I can either come to you and ask you to help out with your education or I can do nothing and let the place fall apart." In 2004, U administrators and the Board of Regents passed an 8.5 percent increase in tuition and fees—a raise of $177 a semester. "I think you're getting a good deal—even if it doesn't feel like that when you have to pay for it," Pershing said. Starting to see a trend? In 2005, U ti. NICHOLAS PAPPAS administrators and the Board of Regents passed a 7.5 percent increase in tuition and fees—a raise of $140 a semester. "Compared to the other state institutions, 7.5 percent is not on the high side," said Paul Brinkman, associate vice president for budget and planning. "Perhaps it's even on the low side." In 2006, U administrators and the Board of Regents passed an 8.5 percent increase in tuition and fees—a raise of $170 a semester. "We are still getting a really big bargain," Pershing said. Finally, in 2007, U administrators and the Board of Regents passed a 7 percent increase in tuition and fees—a raise of $162 a semester, U President Michael Young said he didn't want to cut any expenses that would "compromise the quality of education." A bit repetitive, isn't it? Perhaps they should move the annual meeting to Groundhog Day. Now, with 6 percent added to the steaming pile, the total cost of education at the U has gone up a total of $1,206 a semester in six years—an increase of 65 percent. Students at the U have to tighten their belts every year. It should be getting easier, considering we can barely afford a good meal. Historically, our Legislature budgets out higher education during hard times. Yet it doesn't seem to understand that the lifeblood of the economy is an educated work force. It's a simple formula: the higher the cost of education, the fewer the students who can afford it. The fewer educated citizens, the more limited their career potential. The economy suffers. Everyone suffers. The administration continually quotes the great deal we're getting— the bright red paint on the windshield. It's a scam. The average salary in Utah is drastically low compared to other states. Add to that an average earlier age of marriage, a higher number of students with children at home and a financial aid system near the bottom of the national list, and our great deal sounds more like a "fixer-upper." Along with this clunker, fee increases for study abroad and the new recreation center are the equivalent of paying for gas to fuel someone else's car. A poll showed the majority of students were against the fee increase, but it's hard to hear our voices when the administration is holding a bone over the barking heads of ASUU. "It's hard to see," Pearson said. "We felt better this year because it was heading in the right direction." That's a good boy. The tuition hike will most likely get little fanfare. We grin and bear it. Every year the Board of Regents will head to sunny St. George with golf clubs and silver pens, sign on the dotted line and forget to tip their caddies. It's a shame we remain quiet year after year. Silence is the same as assent. We need to jump in our cars ($300 per month), drive to the capitol ($3.25 per gallon) and—for once—make sure our voices are heard (absolutely free). letters@ chronide.utah.edu n-. |