OCR Text |
Show Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 Page 4 AggieLife Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com Students debate tipping customs BY CALE PATTERSON features senior writer Some people think having to leave a gratuity after paying the price of a meal should not be necessary and that it is just a way for restaurants to make more money and cut the cost of paying employees. "I think it's kind of silly because places that you tip at are already more expensive than fast food places, so I think it should be the employer's job to give them a wage," said Sean Collins, a freshman majoring in biology. "It just makes it so the employer can charge more because he doesn't have to pay his employees as much money, so he is making more. It's just a way for the employer to get extra money. Collins said the financial circumstances of college students makes eating out a bigger sacrifice than it would be otherwise. "It's a bigger sacrifice," he said. "It makes people less likely to eat because it raises the price of eating out. I know waiters don't get paid as much though, and that is why I always tip." Despite his distaste for tipping, Collins said servers should have to earn it. "I know they need money, so I will tip unless they do a bad job," he said. "It's just annoying I think. I don't think it should be given though — I think the waitress or waiter should have to earn it." Tucker Cottrell, a freshman majoring in pre-physical therapy and nutrition, has worked in the restaurant industry for a year and a half and said his employment has caused him to be more aware of what a server is doing, RESTAURANT SERVERS RELY on tips as their main source of income. Most make around $2 an hour without gratuity. DELAYNE LOCKE photo illustration allowing him to gauge how much to tip. "No matter how bad your service is, you very rarely should ever stiff somebody," he said. "If you got stiffed every single table, you would actually owe the restaurant money." Cottrell said receiving no gratuity when he has done his job can be very frustrating. "I've gotten stiffed a few times, and there is nothing more frustrating when you feel like you've done your job, and come to find out there's a big fat zero or a line through the tip column," he said. "You're just like, 'Oh man, I'm never doing that to some- body.' That's so rude." Morgan Quigley, a junior majoring in business administration, has worked in several restaurants during the last few years and currently works at The Beehive Grill. He said before working in the restaurant industry, his tipping habits were very different than they are now. "I remember going out on dates when I was in high school, and I was probably one of the worst tippers ever," Quigley said. "I was a pretty standard high school kid — like three bucks for me and my date on $25 or $30 dollar meal." Quigley said he would now leave a five to six dollar gratuity for a similarly priced meal. "If they did their best to take care of me, I'll still take care of them," he said. "That's just if it's a mediocre server. I mean nothing outstanding, but nothing terrible. Even if it was terrible, I think that would probably still be my minimum." According to Quigley, appropriate tips range from 18 to 30 percent depending on the quality of service, yet most college students leave between 10 and 18 percent gratuities. "They just don't know," he said. "They haven't been on the other side OSee GRATUITY, Page 5 Adjusting to dark, cold evenings BY HAILEE HOUSLEY staff writer Say goodbye to long summer evenings and hello to an extra hour of sleep. Students have been feeling the effects of the time change even though it has been more than a week since the time fell back one hour due to daylight saving time change. "I haven't changed any clocks besides the one on my phone that changes automatically," said Anthony Israelson, a sophomore majoring in economics and international business. "Every time I get in my car to drive somewhere, I look down at the time and think, 'Oh crap, I am an hour late,' but then I remember the time change." Confusion due to the time change has led to some students showing up late to events. "The time change has made me late for a few things," said Estefan Cespedes, a junior majoring in accounting. "I was supposed to go help my grandma clean her house the other day and ended up being an hour late because I got mixed up thinking a clock's time hadn't been changed when it actually had. My grandma wasn't too happy about me being late." Even though the time change has been confusing for some people, sleep-deprived students have enjoyed the extra hour of sleep when the time changed. "I loved having an extra hour of sleep," said Israelson. "It was probably the highlight of the whole year." To some students, however, the time change has been a nuisance to their sleep. "It can be inconvenient adjusting to a new sleep schedule," said Raegon Erickson, an undeclared FALL'S CHANGE FROM DAYLIGHT SAVING time is associated with depression and fatigue. Some students struggle to adjust to the earlier sunsets. JESSICA FIFE photo illustration freshman. "I woke up before my alarm went off for the first three or four days after the time change, but now my sleep is back on schedule." The sun setting earlier is leaving students tired and less motivated earlier in the day. "Since it gets dark earlier at night, by the time I get home it feels later than it actually is," said Erickson. "I lose motivation to go out and do things." Some think the lack of motivation earlier in the day due to darker evenings is hurting productivity in their daily lives. "When you get done with track practice, it sucks because it's already dark and freezing outside," said Israelson. "You don't feel like going out and doing anything productive." Some think there has been a degrading mood around campus since the time change. "Everyone's overall mood has seemed to decay in the last couple of days," Estefan said. "I have heard a lot of people complain about their days getting cut off so short and feeling tired all of the time. I have also heard of a lot of people getting depressed at this time of year. I don't know if this is a causation of the time change or just a correlation between the change and it getting colder outside. Both things seem pretty depressing to me." An Australian study said depression seems to be heightened during daylight saving time. The study, published in 2008 in Sleep and Biological Rhythms, found a higher likelihood that men would commit suicide during the first few weeks of the time change than at any other time of the year. "The darker days have slightly made me feel more tired and not totally depressed but not as upbeat," said Estefan. The brain knows the time on the clock has changed, but the internal clock still has to readjust to the time change. Some think the change is worth having longer, sunny evenings in the summer. "While my body is adjusting to the time change in the fall, I usually get really hungry an hour before my lunch break because I am used to eating at that time, but the adjustment time is worth it," Estefan said. "I really like the switch in the spring. Even though you lose an hour of sleep, it is nice to have sprung ahead an hour to longer days." Students have methods to keeping themselves happy and positive during the time change. "I like to exercise, like going to a zumba class at night to help wake me up and keep me from getting depressed," Erickson said. — haileehousley@gmail.corn |