Being this was my first Rose Cafe, I had no clue what to expect. What I had imagined it to be was another boring roundtable discussion about a random topic. What actually happened was a pleasant surprise. I got to listen to Anthony speak all about what goes on throughout the semester, and after the semester, within the realm of building care. He went on about how he has a team of 30 during the semester and then it grows even more during the non-scholastic months. What I found interesting was how in-depth he went- telling us all about what goes on when students aren’t on West, and all that needs to get down before we (students) come back.
Anthony was so insightful and really knew what he was talking about. When someone told him a story about what happened last semester, he not only remembered what happened, but even the building, and floor in which it occurred. In addition, when someone had criticism, he didn’t take offense. Rather, he listened with open ears and wanted to positively impact our experience here at Cornell. One girl made a remark on how tissue paper from her trash gets all over the place throughout the day, and Anthony said he would fix that. The next morning when I went to brush my teeth, I realized the trash bin was moved to a different location just like what was talked about. Out of pure curiosity, I checked the ground floor bathroom on my way out of my building and I noticed that bin was moved as well.
Anthony simply doesn’t see himself and his team as building care. Rather, he sees them as a group of people trying to make a positive impact on west campus and making sure the students have a good experience here. I really respect him for how well of a job he does, and also how he strives to make a difference.
Wow! I too heard the comment about paper in the trash being blown by the hand drier. It’s great that they were able to implement a small change like waste bin location so quickly across the campus.
I also really appreciated how evident it was that Anthony truly wanted to hear our feedback and learn how he could make our experience here on West Campus better. He had a notepad and was writing down our comments and concerns. I think that being to receptive to feedback—whether positive or negative—and taking active steps to respond to that feedback is true testament to a person’s character. Anthony seems like a really intelligent, kind man.
I love the building staff! They’re always friendly and so so accommodating to any concerns or questions we have.