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The essays are grouped by theme, and each group begins with an introduction.
At the bottom of each page, choose "older posts" to find many more articles in this collection. If you keep digging, you’ll find eight different groups of articles in this blog:
Potsdam du Jour by Brenna, Eva, Josephine
Walmart and Lowe’s by Tyler, Tony, Jon
Coming & Going: New Students’ Experiences by Colin, Molly, Nasif, and Maggie
Massena: Youth and Environment by Jon and Breanna
Tattoo Taboo by Hannah, Curtis, Phillip, and Kate
Economic Factors in Potsdam by Cody, Brady, Charles, Vinny, and David
Local Misconceptions by Juan, Alyschia, Chris, and Kanema
Who’s Watching You? College Life by Samantha, Andrew, and Brett
POTSDAM DU JOUR
The following three essays consider the various dining options for students in the town of Potsdam and on campus. We observed the habits of diners both on and off campus, and we came to the conclusion that students and businesses need to be more aware of each other. Restaurants could do more to cater to the specific need of the students, and the students need to show proper respect to the workers. We also asked, is there fair competition between on and off campus eateries?
Josephine: How do local Potsdam restaurants cater to students? What can students do to help create a beneficial relationship with local restaurants?
Brenna: Is there fair competition between the eateries both on and off campus?
Eva: Potsdam is a college town and most of the employees of restaurants on and off campus are working to cater to students. In return, students need to treat employees with respect, but it doesn't always happen.
Josephine: How do local Potsdam restaurants cater to students? What can students do to help create a beneficial relationship with local restaurants?
Brenna: Is there fair competition between the eateries both on and off campus?
Eva: Potsdam is a college town and most of the employees of restaurants on and off campus are working to cater to students. In return, students need to treat employees with respect, but it doesn't always happen.
PACES and Local Businesses
By Brenna Cooper
Do the permanent residents of Potsdam take advantage of the dining accommodations on campus when college is in session, and if so, does this take a substantial amount of business away from the restaurants in town? This problem is important to the community because if there is a substantial amount of business being taken away from the restaurants it could potentially cause them to close. This would greatly affect the community during the off-season when dining on campus is no longer an option. This would also have an effect on student life; if the restaurants around town closed, there would be little to no alternative to campus dining in the immediate area. So when students are craving something other than campus food, they would need to travel further distances, which is not always possible since not all students have a vehicle, or access to other forms of transportation. I investigated this issue by making observations in the various dining halls and café’s on campus and by interviewing George Arnold, the Director of Dining Services for PACES.
The first observation I made was just by chance. I was eating dinner in the Lehman dining hall when I noticed and older couple sitting with a group of young children eating dinner. These children were obviously too young to be college students, and though it is possible that one of both of the older couple were a professor on campus, I doubted it since they were both dressed casually. This sparked the question; do non-students take advantage of the dining halls on campus? I know that when my family or friends come to visit me on campus, we choose to eat on campus, in the dining halls, because it is more convenient and less expensive than eating in town at one of the various restaurants. I have also observed many people that are clearly non-students and not professors in the café’s around campus, especially in the mornings. Once, at Becky’s Place, I saw a group of older, middle aged men dressed in camouflage and bright orange safety vests ordering breakfast and coffee. I had a strong impression they were not students or professors, so one can assume that they are residents of Potsdam taking advantage of the dining facilities on campus. This is not the only occasion where I have seen a group of people, or even just an individual visiting one of the café’s on campus where I had the impression that they were not students or professors.
Next I interviewed George Arnold, Director of Dining Services for Potsdam Auxiliary College Educational Services, or PACES. The first question I asked him was, “Does PACES advertise service off campus to encourage non-students to take advantage of the dining facilities on campus?” And his response was, “Generally no.” According to Mr. Arnold, the only advertising PACES puts out is advertising in support of community service projects, and other organizations like Garden Share and The Orchestra of Northern New York. However it makes you wonder why they offer special group prices at Lehman. For example there is a “Group Rate (By advance notice only)” for $7.00 for lunch and $10.00 for dinner. Whereas the normal rate when paying with “Cash & Bear Express” which costs $7.75 for lunch and $10.25 for dinner. They also offer lowered prices for “Children under 12” at a cost of $3.75 for lunch and $5.25 for dinner (Lehman). This almost seems to contradict Mr. Arnold’s claim that they do not advertise to non-students, because it does not make sense to offer special rates to those you do not advertise to. However, Mr. Arnold says “The purpose of the group rates is to quickly accommodate groups visiting SUNY Potsdam - such as a high school or a visiting sports team. It requires advance notice. Before we did this a group would just show up in line -paying individually and slowing things up for our regular customers.” (Arnold, email).
Mr. Arnold says that PACES’ goal is “To try to be good neighbors to off campus.” He then went on to give examples of how they try to be good neighbors. PACES buys from local businesses as often as possible to support them, instead of buying from “big box stores like Wal-Mart”. For example, they buy bread from the local Co-Op bakery because they did not have enough volume to support it, so PACES helps them out by buying bread from them and using it on campus. They also buy things like sushi from the Purple Rice store downtown, and re-sell it for the same price. They don’t make a profit off this, but they do it to support this local business. PACES also buys from local Amish farmers, and between all of these local businesses they spend about $400,000 a year just on produce and other things from local businesses. Also, what PACES is unable to buy locally they buy regionally, so they greatly support the local and regional businesses.
When I asked Mr. Arnold about the PACES catering service he says they choose not to cater to the community, which goes back to the “good neighbor” goal that they strive for. That is, they don’t compete against the local businesses. The only real time that PACES caters to those outside of SUNY is when people choose to come on campus for educational reasons, like conferences, or when their group is too large to be accommodated anywhere else. The example he gave me was, if a wedding with 200 guests was to be held in town, it would most likely be catered here on campus, because there is simply no other place where that many people can be accommodated. However If a wedding with only 50 guests was to be held in town, and they requested to be catered by PACES they would most likely be denied, and then another restaurant in town would be suggested instead (Maxfield’s was the example Mr. Arnold used). He said overall they do about one wedding every two years, which compared to the number of weddings that most likely take place in those two years, is a phenomenally small number.
Despite all that Mr. Arnold said, there is a great possibility that PACES could monopolize many of the businesses in town. For example, the California State University (or CSU) Fresno Association, an auxiliary business much like PACES, has branched out and taken control of other non-dining related projects:
PACES has the power to follow the example set by the CSU Fresno Association, however they choose not to. Instead they choose to try to be a good neighbor.
Another way PACES supports the community is by setting up the use of Bear Express in the various restaurants in town. Mr. Arnold says that “It is good for students to eat off campus and to buy their own food, because then they appreciate what is available to them on campus.” In fact, he encourages students to take advantage of off campus dining once in a while. Another major factor that plays into this is location. The reason some places around campus, like Dexter’s, are only open for lunch is because lunchtime is the peak business hour. Since there is a large number of students that live off campus, they don’t eat as often on campus as students that live in on-campus housing. And often times they will only eat lunch on campus, since it would be impractical for them to drive all the way back into town for lunch between classes just to drive back to campus for their next class (Arnold).
Based on all the information given to me by Mr. Arnold, the obvious conclusion must be that there is no competition between PACES and the various businesses in town. In fact, Mr. Arnold made the point that even if PACES did compete with local businesses it would be a level playing field since PACES has to pay rent and for utilities, and they also have to pay to maintain and clean the facilities they use since they are owned by SUNY Potsdam, and not PACES. Also, any money that they do make, for example the occasional wedding, goes back to the students. This is in an effort to lower the cost of meal plans, and they also sponsor things like student scholarships. On the other hand, my observations and personal experiences support the claim that some local and also visiting families eat at PACES.
Works Cited
Arnold, George. Personal interview. [9 November 2009]
Arnold, George. Personal email. [23 November 2009]
Clemings, Russell. “Going beyond dorms” The Fresno Bee (CA) 03/23/2007: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 11 November 2009.
"Lehman Dining." SUNY Potsdam College Web Page 2008. Web. [16 October 2009].
Do the permanent residents of Potsdam take advantage of the dining accommodations on campus when college is in session, and if so, does this take a substantial amount of business away from the restaurants in town? This problem is important to the community because if there is a substantial amount of business being taken away from the restaurants it could potentially cause them to close. This would greatly affect the community during the off-season when dining on campus is no longer an option. This would also have an effect on student life; if the restaurants around town closed, there would be little to no alternative to campus dining in the immediate area. So when students are craving something other than campus food, they would need to travel further distances, which is not always possible since not all students have a vehicle, or access to other forms of transportation. I investigated this issue by making observations in the various dining halls and café’s on campus and by interviewing George Arnold, the Director of Dining Services for PACES.
The first observation I made was just by chance. I was eating dinner in the Lehman dining hall when I noticed and older couple sitting with a group of young children eating dinner. These children were obviously too young to be college students, and though it is possible that one of both of the older couple were a professor on campus, I doubted it since they were both dressed casually. This sparked the question; do non-students take advantage of the dining halls on campus? I know that when my family or friends come to visit me on campus, we choose to eat on campus, in the dining halls, because it is more convenient and less expensive than eating in town at one of the various restaurants. I have also observed many people that are clearly non-students and not professors in the café’s around campus, especially in the mornings. Once, at Becky’s Place, I saw a group of older, middle aged men dressed in camouflage and bright orange safety vests ordering breakfast and coffee. I had a strong impression they were not students or professors, so one can assume that they are residents of Potsdam taking advantage of the dining facilities on campus. This is not the only occasion where I have seen a group of people, or even just an individual visiting one of the café’s on campus where I had the impression that they were not students or professors.
Next I interviewed George Arnold, Director of Dining Services for Potsdam Auxiliary College Educational Services, or PACES. The first question I asked him was, “Does PACES advertise service off campus to encourage non-students to take advantage of the dining facilities on campus?” And his response was, “Generally no.” According to Mr. Arnold, the only advertising PACES puts out is advertising in support of community service projects, and other organizations like Garden Share and The Orchestra of Northern New York. However it makes you wonder why they offer special group prices at Lehman. For example there is a “Group Rate (By advance notice only)” for $7.00 for lunch and $10.00 for dinner. Whereas the normal rate when paying with “Cash & Bear Express” which costs $7.75 for lunch and $10.25 for dinner. They also offer lowered prices for “Children under 12” at a cost of $3.75 for lunch and $5.25 for dinner (Lehman). This almost seems to contradict Mr. Arnold’s claim that they do not advertise to non-students, because it does not make sense to offer special rates to those you do not advertise to. However, Mr. Arnold says “The purpose of the group rates is to quickly accommodate groups visiting SUNY Potsdam - such as a high school or a visiting sports team. It requires advance notice. Before we did this a group would just show up in line -paying individually and slowing things up for our regular customers.” (Arnold, email).
Mr. Arnold says that PACES’ goal is “To try to be good neighbors to off campus.” He then went on to give examples of how they try to be good neighbors. PACES buys from local businesses as often as possible to support them, instead of buying from “big box stores like Wal-Mart”. For example, they buy bread from the local Co-Op bakery because they did not have enough volume to support it, so PACES helps them out by buying bread from them and using it on campus. They also buy things like sushi from the Purple Rice store downtown, and re-sell it for the same price. They don’t make a profit off this, but they do it to support this local business. PACES also buys from local Amish farmers, and between all of these local businesses they spend about $400,000 a year just on produce and other things from local businesses. Also, what PACES is unable to buy locally they buy regionally, so they greatly support the local and regional businesses.
When I asked Mr. Arnold about the PACES catering service he says they choose not to cater to the community, which goes back to the “good neighbor” goal that they strive for. That is, they don’t compete against the local businesses. The only real time that PACES caters to those outside of SUNY is when people choose to come on campus for educational reasons, like conferences, or when their group is too large to be accommodated anywhere else. The example he gave me was, if a wedding with 200 guests was to be held in town, it would most likely be catered here on campus, because there is simply no other place where that many people can be accommodated. However If a wedding with only 50 guests was to be held in town, and they requested to be catered by PACES they would most likely be denied, and then another restaurant in town would be suggested instead (Maxfield’s was the example Mr. Arnold used). He said overall they do about one wedding every two years, which compared to the number of weddings that most likely take place in those two years, is a phenomenally small number.
Despite all that Mr. Arnold said, there is a great possibility that PACES could monopolize many of the businesses in town. For example, the California State University (or CSU) Fresno Association, an auxiliary business much like PACES, has branched out and taken control of other non-dining related projects:
It used to run dormitories, food services and the student union and bookstore at Fresno State. Now it controls the $103 million Save Mart Center arena and adjacent recreation complex -- and it is planning to build Campus Pointe, a $167 million minitown on the east end of the campus with apartments, a hotel, shopping, offices and a 14-screen movie theater . . . Incorporated when Fresno State moved to its current campus in the early 1960s, the [CSU Fresno Association] started out running commercial services such as the bookstore and food services. It added the student union in 1968 and student housing in the early 1990s. But its move into less traditional projects like Save Mart Center and Campus Pointe has prompted criticism. (Clemings)
PACES has the power to follow the example set by the CSU Fresno Association, however they choose not to. Instead they choose to try to be a good neighbor.
Another way PACES supports the community is by setting up the use of Bear Express in the various restaurants in town. Mr. Arnold says that “It is good for students to eat off campus and to buy their own food, because then they appreciate what is available to them on campus.” In fact, he encourages students to take advantage of off campus dining once in a while. Another major factor that plays into this is location. The reason some places around campus, like Dexter’s, are only open for lunch is because lunchtime is the peak business hour. Since there is a large number of students that live off campus, they don’t eat as often on campus as students that live in on-campus housing. And often times they will only eat lunch on campus, since it would be impractical for them to drive all the way back into town for lunch between classes just to drive back to campus for their next class (Arnold).
Based on all the information given to me by Mr. Arnold, the obvious conclusion must be that there is no competition between PACES and the various businesses in town. In fact, Mr. Arnold made the point that even if PACES did compete with local businesses it would be a level playing field since PACES has to pay rent and for utilities, and they also have to pay to maintain and clean the facilities they use since they are owned by SUNY Potsdam, and not PACES. Also, any money that they do make, for example the occasional wedding, goes back to the students. This is in an effort to lower the cost of meal plans, and they also sponsor things like student scholarships. On the other hand, my observations and personal experiences support the claim that some local and also visiting families eat at PACES.
Works Cited
Arnold, George. Personal interview. [9 November 2009]
Arnold, George. Personal email. [23 November 2009]
Clemings, Russell. “Going beyond dorms” The Fresno Bee (CA) 03/23/2007: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 11 November 2009.
"Lehman Dining." SUNY Potsdam College Web Page 2008. Web. [16 October 2009].
College Students: How they Treat Employees and Staff
By Eva Mastoras
“Seventy nine percent of Americans say lack of respect and courtesy should be regarded as a serious national problem” (“Land”, 2008). Are you a college student? If so, think about this: are you respectful to faculty and staff on campus? How do you treat employees of businesses in town? According to my observations, interviews, and research, there are many students who treat employees, such as janitors, cashiers, cooks, etc, with absolutely no respect. Why do students act this way? Seeing as though Potsdam is one of the smaller campuses in the country, I can imagine that this has been a major problem in other college towns as well. Although Potsdam is a small college that is diverse, I think rudeness is probably an even bigger trend in city schools and larger universities. The lack of respect affects staff, employees, and students at Potsdam.
A few of my observations took place at the Student Union Dining Center. I was standing in line behind a girl, waiting to pay for my food. The girl had an assortment of items in a plastic bag, and was telling the cashier what was in the bag. The student told the woman she had four skim milks, and one chocolate milk. The woman had misunderstood the student and charged her for four soy milks instead. When the girl saw this, she immediately took a milk out of her bag, shoved it about an inch from the cashier’s face, and said, “No! It’s skim milk, not soy milk!” She said this with an extremely rude attitude. The cashier apologized and changed the price, but the girl still continued to hold the milk directly in front of the woman’s face. In my opinion, the girl continued to hold the milk there to make the woman feel brainless. The woman ignored the student and continued to charge the remaining items. By looking at the woman’s facial expression, I thought she looked flushed, embarrassed, and frustrated. In my opinion, the woman didn’t respond to the situation because she probably frequently gets treated that way. Is it fair for the woman to feel this way just because of an honest mistake?
Students, try to put yourselves in their shoes. Most teenagers usually have a part-time job during high school and college, which are low-paying jobs. Think about times where customers have treated you rudely because you are “just a cashier.” Many individuals treat people with minimum wage jobs poorly because they are “lower-class” jobs. This treatment is not right because everybody deserves to be treated equally, no matter what their job is. I think one reason why students act this way is because most employees and staff in Potsdam are local people who probably have not earned a college degree. Students think they are superior to them because they are actually in college and earning a degree. Also, students treat the workforce with disrespect to impress their friends and to be funny.
Although this employee network is the mechanism that keeps the campus functioning, it is mistreated and taken advantage of by those who benefit from it most. If you are a student that contributes to this problem, there are a few things you should consider before acting. Our society would not be able to function if we did not have minimum wage jobs. Who would be in The Union to prepare our food and serve us? We would have to make our own food. How would our public hallways and bathrooms be clean? We would have to either clean them ourselves, or look at the filthy mess. If you treat a cook with disrespect, they might get upset, and not do their job as well, or they might act irritated with other people. This will affect you and other students in the end. Many adults consider teenagers to be rude and bad-mannered. Would you want adults treating you with disrespect just because of their assumptions about kids your age? Students need to start changing their mindset about others and treat the workforce with respect.
After all of my observations took place, I decided to interview some local Potsdam students to see why they act rudely. The first student I interviewed is Kenny Ross. My first question was: have you ever been rude to staff anywhere on campus? He said, “Yes, but only if they are rude to me first.” I thought his statement was shocking because I have been practically everywhere on campus, and all of the Potsdam staff is very polite and kind. Ross told me there is one man that works at Lehman dining hall who is discourteous to many Potsdam students. For instance, Ross was at the grill at Lehman and ordered a sub. He asked for no mushrooms but he wanted everything else. Ross looked at his sandwich and saw that he purposely put mushrooms on the sandwich. Ross asked the man to make him a new sub because of the mushrooms and the man told him to pick them off. Ultimately, the cook made Ross a new sandwich but it was very sloppily made and thrown together with attitude. According to Ross and other students I asked, this man usually seems miserable and he looks like he hates his job. I talked to three other random students about this man and they confirmed that he is very ill-mannered and he doesn’t make his orders correctly. Lastly, I asked my friend Katherine what she thought about the cook at Lehman and she said that she is intimidated by the man and will not go to the grill anymore to order food from him. Ross said that the cook was the only person he has ever been rude to at Potsdam.
“If you’re having a bad day, do you treat staff differently?” I asked. Ross said, “If I’m having a bad day, I might not be as polite, but I would never take out my problems on others and act rude.” I asked Ross what he meant by this and he told me that if he is having a bad day he might not say “please” and “thank you”, but he won’t be rude. I came to the conclusion that any respectful student like Ross and me would not be rude to a person unless he or she is rude first.
After I gathered some information from Ross, I moved on to interviewing a cashier at The Union who wished to remain anonymous. My first question to her was: how often do students treat you with disrespect and with a rude attitude? She said, “I get treated rudely every day by students but it’s not to the point where I have to get assistance. The students sometimes just have an attitude and I don’t understand why. I am always so kind to every student that I come across.” I asked her how many students per day act rudely to her. She said that most of the students are fine but there are usually 10 to 15 kids per day with an attitude problem. She also told me that she doesn’t give any response to the rude students because it is not worth her time. The cashier still continues to be kind to the rest of the students despite the rude ones.
Another cashier I interviewed is named Mary Ellen Houston. I asked her a few of the same questions and some of her answers were completely different from the first cashier I talked to. Houston told me that she only has a few instances per week when she gets treated rudely by students. She stated that one of the main reasons why students are rude is because they think the prices of school foods are too high. I found this statement to be true because according to Ingalls 2009, customer rudeness has been linked to the quality of food and price. “About 98 percent of students are good kids, but the other 2 percent we have to send to Chip,” she said. Chip Morris is the person students have to deal with when they get in trouble at school. Next, I asked Houston how she deals with students when they start cursing at her. She told me that instead of cursing back at the students, which is not allowed, she gets their name off of their Bear Express card and then gives the name to Chip. This is a good idea because if she asked for the students’ name, he or she would probably get more angry and the situation would escalate. Sometimes she even sits down with the student and tries to calm him or her down. Houston said that every time she sits down to talk to a student she asks, “Would you like it if someone talked to your mother or your grandmother in this rude manner?” In every case the student always responds with the answer “no.” In the end, when students act rude to Houston she just tells them to “have a nice day,” because she doesn’t let these situations affect her in a negative way.
Despite all of my observations and interviews, I still do not fully understand why students act rudely. If we look back into past generations, rudeness was unacceptable. Children and teenagers always had to show respect to their elders. What has happened over the past several generations? I did a significant amount of research on this topic and one conclusion I came to is that students do not see themselves as developing scholars and professionals, but rather as consumers (Clayton, 2000). Marta Stone, associate professor of Spanish at Quincy University in Illinois, says students may often see themselves as mistreated consumers rather than young scholars being required to struggle and thereby grow intellectually. "There's a distinct feeling," she says, "that 'I'm paying my money and I want a degree in exchange. It doesn't matter how I act' " (Clayton, 2000). Some people believe this is the reason students act rudely, but there is another conclusion that professors have come to. Others believe students are discourteous because they are going through a “culture shock.” Some students that have lived in one place their entire life are shocked by the diversity at college, and they don’t know how to act. "Students often just don't know what's going on after they arrive at college," Dr. Davis says. "There's a cultural disconnect, as if they're being dropped in a country with a foreign language." So, while he agrees with Dr. Stone that students are increasingly arriving with consumerist views, he also sees a failure on the part of universities and professors to actively acculturate students during orientation and in the classroom to their new learning environment (Clayton, 2000).
“Large majorities of Americans say they believe life truly was more civil in the past” (“Land”, 2008). Also, six in ten Americans believe rudeness problems are getting worse (“Land”, 2008). Before the early 20th century, it was believed that the best way to develop self-discipline was with the direct teaching of religion and the frequent and harsh use of punishment (Bear, 2005). I have developed my own theory about why students are ruder now than in past generations. Our economy is getting worse every day and it is getting harder for parents to provide for their families. Parents are starting to get second jobs because they cannot afford to pay for their bills. Because of this, parents are not around as much to look after their children and teach them manners. Although it’s getting harder for families to have time together, parents should always teach their children the difference from what is “right” and “wrong.” Three in four Americans want parents to teach their children that cursing is always wrong (“Land”, 2008).
I spent a great deal of time thinking about this issue and another question came to my mind: are there any specific rules in the Potsdam code of conduct that confront or prohibit rudeness? The answer is yes. The code of conduct states, “Students shall exercise their rights in a reasonable and prudent manner, acting at all times with consideration for others. Individual behavior which adversely affects the quality of life on campus or unduly disturbs one or more members of the College community is prohibited” (Potsdam, 2008). When students are discourteous to Potsdam employees, they are affecting the quality of life for others such as cashiers and other students. In summary, the code of conduct is an excellent way to reduce the university’s rudeness problem.
There is actually no solid answer behind the disrespectful student behavior. There is a poor system that students use to judge others based on their economic position. This shows a great lack of intellect which is something scholars are expected to have. The two basic reasons for this are: the student has lived in one place their entire life, and the other is because the American lifestyle is getting more fast-paced. Ultimately, college student’s rude behavior comes from not being educated and informed on how to treat others.
Works Cited
"Land of the rude: Americans in new survey say lack of respect is getting worse." Emily Post 3 April 2002, Print.
Ingalls, Courtney. "Second-Class Citizens? Perceptions and Reality: Discourtesy in Serving Lines in a College Cafeteria." Journal of prevention & intervention in the community 37.3 (2009): 191-199. Web. 5 Dec 2009.
"Preamble." Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct. 2008. The State University of New York at Potsdam, Web. 5 Dec 2009..
Clayton, Mark. "Professors struggle to rout out rudeness." Christian Science Monitor 92.82 (2000): 16. Web. 5 Dec 2009..
Bear, G. G.(2005). Discipline. .In In S. W. Lee (Ed.),Encyclopedia of School
Psychology,(pp. 164-169)Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.. Retrieved
December 1, 2009, from Education via
Gale:http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CCX3453000082&v=2.1&u=potsdam_main&it=r&p=GVRL.EDUC&sw=w
“Seventy nine percent of Americans say lack of respect and courtesy should be regarded as a serious national problem” (“Land”, 2008). Are you a college student? If so, think about this: are you respectful to faculty and staff on campus? How do you treat employees of businesses in town? According to my observations, interviews, and research, there are many students who treat employees, such as janitors, cashiers, cooks, etc, with absolutely no respect. Why do students act this way? Seeing as though Potsdam is one of the smaller campuses in the country, I can imagine that this has been a major problem in other college towns as well. Although Potsdam is a small college that is diverse, I think rudeness is probably an even bigger trend in city schools and larger universities. The lack of respect affects staff, employees, and students at Potsdam.
A few of my observations took place at the Student Union Dining Center. I was standing in line behind a girl, waiting to pay for my food. The girl had an assortment of items in a plastic bag, and was telling the cashier what was in the bag. The student told the woman she had four skim milks, and one chocolate milk. The woman had misunderstood the student and charged her for four soy milks instead. When the girl saw this, she immediately took a milk out of her bag, shoved it about an inch from the cashier’s face, and said, “No! It’s skim milk, not soy milk!” She said this with an extremely rude attitude. The cashier apologized and changed the price, but the girl still continued to hold the milk directly in front of the woman’s face. In my opinion, the girl continued to hold the milk there to make the woman feel brainless. The woman ignored the student and continued to charge the remaining items. By looking at the woman’s facial expression, I thought she looked flushed, embarrassed, and frustrated. In my opinion, the woman didn’t respond to the situation because she probably frequently gets treated that way. Is it fair for the woman to feel this way just because of an honest mistake?
Students, try to put yourselves in their shoes. Most teenagers usually have a part-time job during high school and college, which are low-paying jobs. Think about times where customers have treated you rudely because you are “just a cashier.” Many individuals treat people with minimum wage jobs poorly because they are “lower-class” jobs. This treatment is not right because everybody deserves to be treated equally, no matter what their job is. I think one reason why students act this way is because most employees and staff in Potsdam are local people who probably have not earned a college degree. Students think they are superior to them because they are actually in college and earning a degree. Also, students treat the workforce with disrespect to impress their friends and to be funny.
Although this employee network is the mechanism that keeps the campus functioning, it is mistreated and taken advantage of by those who benefit from it most. If you are a student that contributes to this problem, there are a few things you should consider before acting. Our society would not be able to function if we did not have minimum wage jobs. Who would be in The Union to prepare our food and serve us? We would have to make our own food. How would our public hallways and bathrooms be clean? We would have to either clean them ourselves, or look at the filthy mess. If you treat a cook with disrespect, they might get upset, and not do their job as well, or they might act irritated with other people. This will affect you and other students in the end. Many adults consider teenagers to be rude and bad-mannered. Would you want adults treating you with disrespect just because of their assumptions about kids your age? Students need to start changing their mindset about others and treat the workforce with respect.
After all of my observations took place, I decided to interview some local Potsdam students to see why they act rudely. The first student I interviewed is Kenny Ross. My first question was: have you ever been rude to staff anywhere on campus? He said, “Yes, but only if they are rude to me first.” I thought his statement was shocking because I have been practically everywhere on campus, and all of the Potsdam staff is very polite and kind. Ross told me there is one man that works at Lehman dining hall who is discourteous to many Potsdam students. For instance, Ross was at the grill at Lehman and ordered a sub. He asked for no mushrooms but he wanted everything else. Ross looked at his sandwich and saw that he purposely put mushrooms on the sandwich. Ross asked the man to make him a new sub because of the mushrooms and the man told him to pick them off. Ultimately, the cook made Ross a new sandwich but it was very sloppily made and thrown together with attitude. According to Ross and other students I asked, this man usually seems miserable and he looks like he hates his job. I talked to three other random students about this man and they confirmed that he is very ill-mannered and he doesn’t make his orders correctly. Lastly, I asked my friend Katherine what she thought about the cook at Lehman and she said that she is intimidated by the man and will not go to the grill anymore to order food from him. Ross said that the cook was the only person he has ever been rude to at Potsdam.
“If you’re having a bad day, do you treat staff differently?” I asked. Ross said, “If I’m having a bad day, I might not be as polite, but I would never take out my problems on others and act rude.” I asked Ross what he meant by this and he told me that if he is having a bad day he might not say “please” and “thank you”, but he won’t be rude. I came to the conclusion that any respectful student like Ross and me would not be rude to a person unless he or she is rude first.
After I gathered some information from Ross, I moved on to interviewing a cashier at The Union who wished to remain anonymous. My first question to her was: how often do students treat you with disrespect and with a rude attitude? She said, “I get treated rudely every day by students but it’s not to the point where I have to get assistance. The students sometimes just have an attitude and I don’t understand why. I am always so kind to every student that I come across.” I asked her how many students per day act rudely to her. She said that most of the students are fine but there are usually 10 to 15 kids per day with an attitude problem. She also told me that she doesn’t give any response to the rude students because it is not worth her time. The cashier still continues to be kind to the rest of the students despite the rude ones.
Another cashier I interviewed is named Mary Ellen Houston. I asked her a few of the same questions and some of her answers were completely different from the first cashier I talked to. Houston told me that she only has a few instances per week when she gets treated rudely by students. She stated that one of the main reasons why students are rude is because they think the prices of school foods are too high. I found this statement to be true because according to Ingalls 2009, customer rudeness has been linked to the quality of food and price. “About 98 percent of students are good kids, but the other 2 percent we have to send to Chip,” she said. Chip Morris is the person students have to deal with when they get in trouble at school. Next, I asked Houston how she deals with students when they start cursing at her. She told me that instead of cursing back at the students, which is not allowed, she gets their name off of their Bear Express card and then gives the name to Chip. This is a good idea because if she asked for the students’ name, he or she would probably get more angry and the situation would escalate. Sometimes she even sits down with the student and tries to calm him or her down. Houston said that every time she sits down to talk to a student she asks, “Would you like it if someone talked to your mother or your grandmother in this rude manner?” In every case the student always responds with the answer “no.” In the end, when students act rude to Houston she just tells them to “have a nice day,” because she doesn’t let these situations affect her in a negative way.
Despite all of my observations and interviews, I still do not fully understand why students act rudely. If we look back into past generations, rudeness was unacceptable. Children and teenagers always had to show respect to their elders. What has happened over the past several generations? I did a significant amount of research on this topic and one conclusion I came to is that students do not see themselves as developing scholars and professionals, but rather as consumers (Clayton, 2000). Marta Stone, associate professor of Spanish at Quincy University in Illinois, says students may often see themselves as mistreated consumers rather than young scholars being required to struggle and thereby grow intellectually. "There's a distinct feeling," she says, "that 'I'm paying my money and I want a degree in exchange. It doesn't matter how I act' " (Clayton, 2000). Some people believe this is the reason students act rudely, but there is another conclusion that professors have come to. Others believe students are discourteous because they are going through a “culture shock.” Some students that have lived in one place their entire life are shocked by the diversity at college, and they don’t know how to act. "Students often just don't know what's going on after they arrive at college," Dr. Davis says. "There's a cultural disconnect, as if they're being dropped in a country with a foreign language." So, while he agrees with Dr. Stone that students are increasingly arriving with consumerist views, he also sees a failure on the part of universities and professors to actively acculturate students during orientation and in the classroom to their new learning environment (Clayton, 2000).
“Large majorities of Americans say they believe life truly was more civil in the past” (“Land”, 2008). Also, six in ten Americans believe rudeness problems are getting worse (“Land”, 2008). Before the early 20th century, it was believed that the best way to develop self-discipline was with the direct teaching of religion and the frequent and harsh use of punishment (Bear, 2005). I have developed my own theory about why students are ruder now than in past generations. Our economy is getting worse every day and it is getting harder for parents to provide for their families. Parents are starting to get second jobs because they cannot afford to pay for their bills. Because of this, parents are not around as much to look after their children and teach them manners. Although it’s getting harder for families to have time together, parents should always teach their children the difference from what is “right” and “wrong.” Three in four Americans want parents to teach their children that cursing is always wrong (“Land”, 2008).
I spent a great deal of time thinking about this issue and another question came to my mind: are there any specific rules in the Potsdam code of conduct that confront or prohibit rudeness? The answer is yes. The code of conduct states, “Students shall exercise their rights in a reasonable and prudent manner, acting at all times with consideration for others. Individual behavior which adversely affects the quality of life on campus or unduly disturbs one or more members of the College community is prohibited” (Potsdam, 2008). When students are discourteous to Potsdam employees, they are affecting the quality of life for others such as cashiers and other students. In summary, the code of conduct is an excellent way to reduce the university’s rudeness problem.
There is actually no solid answer behind the disrespectful student behavior. There is a poor system that students use to judge others based on their economic position. This shows a great lack of intellect which is something scholars are expected to have. The two basic reasons for this are: the student has lived in one place their entire life, and the other is because the American lifestyle is getting more fast-paced. Ultimately, college student’s rude behavior comes from not being educated and informed on how to treat others.
Works Cited
"Land of the rude: Americans in new survey say lack of respect is getting worse." Emily Post 3 April 2002, Print.
Ingalls, Courtney. "Second-Class Citizens? Perceptions and Reality: Discourtesy in Serving Lines in a College Cafeteria." Journal of prevention & intervention in the community 37.3 (2009): 191-199. Web. 5 Dec 2009.
"Preamble." Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct. 2008. The State University of New York at Potsdam, Web. 5 Dec 2009.
Clayton, Mark. "Professors struggle to rout out rudeness." Christian Science Monitor 92.82 (2000): 16. Web. 5 Dec 2009.
Bear, G. G.(2005). Discipline. .In In S. W. Lee (Ed.),Encyclopedia of School
Psychology,(pp. 164-169)Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.. Retrieved
December 1, 2009, from Education via
Gale:http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CCX3453000082&v=2.1&u=potsdam_main&it=r&p=GVRL.EDUC&sw=w
Finding Food Off Campus
By Josephine Patane
The median age of Potsdam’s population is 21.6 and the number of college students is significantly above the state average (Onboard Informatics). The median age of college towns in one 2000 study was 29.9, which is almost 10 years younger than in similarly sized cities (Gumprecht, 54.) Restaurants and food related businesses in Potsdam should cater to the lifestyles of college students and need to make themselves appealing to the student audience. Perhaps by being open later or offering delivery services, these restaurants can find more successful business from this audience, and benefit the community as a whole.
In this essay, I’ve chosen to explore the small business restaurants in Potsdam and disregard chain restaurants and on campus dining options. Although these are both valid options for students, offering convenient hours, low prices and in some cases delivery service, I want to focus on the businesses which are unique to Potsdam, and who’s success is most affected by students’ business. As a part of my research, I conducted a simple survey about dining habits among twenty SUNY Potsdam students, ten who live in various on campus housing arrangements, and ten who live off campus. Every student participant reported taking advantage of off campus dining options. 80% of students report eating off campus once a week or more. Therefore, knowing the students’ habits could help businesses improve their service and success.
Potsdam restaurants all have their own unique balance of factors which keeps them successfully in business. Many Potsdam restaurants have the same owners. Maxfield’s, Mamma Lucia’s and the Cactus Cantina all share an owner. Each restaurant offers a slightly different appeal, which brings in a profit for all of them. First Crush might hope to target homesick students by being the only place in Potsdam to serve Starbucks coffee, thus compensating for their slightly more expensive prices. Some restaurants really embrace the college crowd, such as The Bagelry, with its super casual atmosphere, inexpensive prices and late hours. Another restaurant with a similar atmosphere is Little Italy, the most popular off campus eating destination among my sampling of Potsdam students. However, unlike The Bagelry, Little Italy doesn’t deliver, and they recently changed their closing time to 10:00pm Monday through Wednesday. Sergi’s does deliver pizza and offer late hours, however my survey has found that the majority of students seem to strongly prefer Little Italy and don’t report visiting or ordering from Sergi’s anywhere near as frequently. Of the students surveyed, 75% reported that they frequently visit Little Italy as opposed to 25% who reported the same for Sergi’s. Therefore, I will explore how Little Italy could adapt to students’ needs.
Regardless of when we should be eating, many students find themselves looking for food after 10:00pm. Although Little Italy maintains its success, I’ve witnessed many disappointments this academic year when peers of mine have tried to go to or call Little Italy after a long day, only to realize that it’s closed. For example, while working on this essay I was sitting in a rehearsal which runs from 7:00-11:00pm. Afterwards a cast mate and I were going to get something to eat. Not believing me that they were closed, she called Little Italy, only to be disappointed at the cut in hours. Little Italy, and other popular restaurants, have late night hours on weekends, and students use them. However, during the week students are up just as late, studying, working, or procrastinating. Also, because Potsdam has such an active music school, along with active theater and dance programs, many students must attend late night rehearsals, concerts, or productions. It seems that having later hours during the week at places like Little Italy could be profitable.
Another disappointment about Little Italy is that it doesn’t deliver. Being such a popular pizza place, they seem like the perfect candidate for delivery service. I frequently see people picking up large orders for parties there. Because this is a college town, offering delivery would gain a restaurant many customers. From students who don’t own cars, as well as students who are hungry and may not be able to safely get themselves to their desired restaurant due to the time of night or possibly intoxication. From the business’ perspective, by offering delivery they could cut back on the number of belligerent students hanging around the restaurant late at night, potentially damaging things and disturbing other customers. On top of the basic advantages of offering delivery service in a college town, in Potsdam there is the added issue of the weather. I’ve noticed an increase in delivery cars from A#1 and The Bagelry waiting outside dorms and townhouses once the first snow hits. However, because of the weather, the availability of delivery from places which already offer it becomes unpredictable. The Bagelry and A#1 have both refused to deliver due to dangerous weather at times.
The weather in Potsdam may be motivation for some local restaurants not to offer delivery at all. Of course there is more of a demand for delivery when the temperature drops below zero and the roads are covered in ice, but is that extra profit worth the risk of sending an employee out in dangerous road conditions? Another reason restaurants might not offer delivery is because it may not be a profitable enough option to have when the weather isn’t as bad. A 2000 study in college towns showed that those living in college towns are four times more likely to walk and seven times more likely to commute by bicycle (Gumprecht, 55.) Students in my survey say they would go to a restaurant late, or order delivery all the time, but the truth is, business doesn’t seem to be strong enough for restaurants to put in the funds required to stay open later or pay for a delivery service. Little Italy used to be open later on Monday through Wednesday, so the cut back in hours implies that business just wasn’t profitable enough after 10:00pm early in the week.
Maybe there is a lack of communication between the students and local businesses. I never knew Little Italy’s hours of operation until this year when I tried to go and they were closed. Some students, like my cast mate, are still unaware of their change in hours. From my observations, it seems that students have a tendency to just guess which restaurants are open, accept Bear Express, or deliver. If there was more communication between local restaurants and students, maybe we could come up with a sort of unified schedule. In looking up the hours of local restaurants online, I found it was difficult to find hours for some restaurants, and others, like The Bagelry, don’t have hours or a menu available online. Also, looking at all of the hours of these restaurants, not one is open the same times all week.
Although part of the problem is students’ unawareness of business hours, students also have a tendency to exaggerate how often they would use these services. My survey results show, although all students report they would take advantage of delivery after 10:00pm, 70% also report the most convenient time for them to eat off campus is between 6:00-9:00pm. To build on my research, if a larger group of students could honestly assess how often they would actually take advantage of later hours or delivery service, it might be worth it for restaurants to stay open later, or invest in a delivery car. Perhaps Potsdam restaurants could offer seasonal hours or delivery during the academic year, or offer delivery service only during the winter or on the weekends. To address the weather safety issue, restaurants could have publicly available policies regarding what constitutes a severe enough weather situation to stop delivery. Then maybe local restaurants could be compiled into a list with menus, hours and delivery policies to be made easily available around campus, in print form and online. I believe that if students could find all that information in one place, they would be more likely to order or to go out late, because they would know they could.
As for members of the Potsdam community who aren’t students, I believe a lot of my argument pertains to them as well. Many Potsdam residents work at the universities and therefore share similar schedules to students. I believe many members of the community would be grateful for more convenience in local business. For example, look at the success of Walmart. When I’m at home I never shop at Walmart, but here, I find myself there at least once a week. Regardless of people’s opinions on the company itself, all kinds of community members are shopping there simply because we can’t get many of those products (or buy them after 10:00pm) anywhere else. The overwhelming majority of students surveyed reported doing their grocery shopping at Walmart. Because of the shared ownership of Potsdam businesses, offering later hours or delivery could benefit the town as a whole. Little Italy shares owners with Happy Daze and The Hookah House. If Little Italy began bringing in extra profits, the owners would have more of a profit overall, which could improve all the businesses owned by them and lead to more satisfied customers, thereby benefiting the entire community. The community might benefit if more restaurants in Potsdam delivered. There would be less risk of students on the road in bad weather conditions in which they are not accustomed to driving, or more dangerously, intoxicated students driving in a desperate attempt to find something to eat.
So yes, businesses in Potsdam do need to cater to the college demographic, but college students need to be more aware of and in communication with these businesses if we are going to have a more mutually beneficial relationship. If Potsdam restaurants and students could communicate better, and be more empathetic towards one another, we could create a better community for everyone.
Business Hours and Delivery:
The Bagelry
Delivers
Hours unavailable online
Little Italy:
Sunday Noon to 9:00pm
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10:30am to 10:00pm
Thursday, Friday,Saturday 10:30am to 3:00am
Only Pizza Served After 10:00pm
Can call in orders for pick up
Hours available online
A#1 Chinese
Mon-Thu-11:00am-10:30pm
Friday/Saturday-11:00am-11:00pm
Sunday-12:00pm-10:30pm
Offers delivery and pick up orders
Hours available online
First Crush
Mon/Tue-7:00am-2:00pm
Wed-Fri-7:00am-9:00pm
Sat-9:00am-9:00pm
Sun-Closed
Offers delivery between 11:00am-2:00pm, Hours available online
Scoopaccino’s
Sun-Thu-6:00am-9:00pm (hours vary depending on season)
Fri/Sat-6:00am-10:00pm
Offers drive thru pickup
Hours available online
Sergi’s
Mon/Tues-3:00pm-12:00am
Wed/Thu-11:00am-12:00am
Fri/Sat-11:00am-2:00am
Sun-11:00am to 12:00am
Delivery available, inaccurate hours available online
Works Cited
Gumprecht, Blake. "The American College Town." Geographical Review. 1st ed. Vol. 93. American Geographical Society. 51-80. JSTOR. Web. 20 Nov. 2009..
"Potsdam, New York." City-data. 2003. Web. 15 Nov. 2009..
Works Consulted
Cardone, Kenneth. "Learning to Eat." New England Journal of Higher Education 24.1 (2009): 12-13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2009..
Huntington, Derek. "The Hookah House opens in town". The Raquette 9-25-2009: 1-1.
Survey Results
-7 survey participants are male and 13 are female.
-Of those students who lived on campus, 7 live in a dorm while 3 live in a townhouse or suite/apartment.
-70% of students responded that it is most convenient for them to eat off campus between the hours of 6:00 and 9:00pm during the week, 40% reported after 9:00pm, 10% between 12:00-5:00pm and 10% don’t eat off campus during the week, no students found it most convenient to eat off campus before 12:00pm.
-75% of students do their grocery shopping at Walmart, 15% responded The Big M, while 1 student responded The Union Market and 1 responded P&C. No students reported grocery shopping at The Potsdam Food Co Op.
-50% of students would prefer having the option of late night delivery during the week, while the other 50% would prefer it on the weekend. No students reported that they would not use this convenience.
The median age of Potsdam’s population is 21.6 and the number of college students is significantly above the state average (Onboard Informatics). The median age of college towns in one 2000 study was 29.9, which is almost 10 years younger than in similarly sized cities (Gumprecht, 54.) Restaurants and food related businesses in Potsdam should cater to the lifestyles of college students and need to make themselves appealing to the student audience. Perhaps by being open later or offering delivery services, these restaurants can find more successful business from this audience, and benefit the community as a whole.
In this essay, I’ve chosen to explore the small business restaurants in Potsdam and disregard chain restaurants and on campus dining options. Although these are both valid options for students, offering convenient hours, low prices and in some cases delivery service, I want to focus on the businesses which are unique to Potsdam, and who’s success is most affected by students’ business. As a part of my research, I conducted a simple survey about dining habits among twenty SUNY Potsdam students, ten who live in various on campus housing arrangements, and ten who live off campus. Every student participant reported taking advantage of off campus dining options. 80% of students report eating off campus once a week or more. Therefore, knowing the students’ habits could help businesses improve their service and success.
Potsdam restaurants all have their own unique balance of factors which keeps them successfully in business. Many Potsdam restaurants have the same owners. Maxfield’s, Mamma Lucia’s and the Cactus Cantina all share an owner. Each restaurant offers a slightly different appeal, which brings in a profit for all of them. First Crush might hope to target homesick students by being the only place in Potsdam to serve Starbucks coffee, thus compensating for their slightly more expensive prices. Some restaurants really embrace the college crowd, such as The Bagelry, with its super casual atmosphere, inexpensive prices and late hours. Another restaurant with a similar atmosphere is Little Italy, the most popular off campus eating destination among my sampling of Potsdam students. However, unlike The Bagelry, Little Italy doesn’t deliver, and they recently changed their closing time to 10:00pm Monday through Wednesday. Sergi’s does deliver pizza and offer late hours, however my survey has found that the majority of students seem to strongly prefer Little Italy and don’t report visiting or ordering from Sergi’s anywhere near as frequently. Of the students surveyed, 75% reported that they frequently visit Little Italy as opposed to 25% who reported the same for Sergi’s. Therefore, I will explore how Little Italy could adapt to students’ needs.
Regardless of when we should be eating, many students find themselves looking for food after 10:00pm. Although Little Italy maintains its success, I’ve witnessed many disappointments this academic year when peers of mine have tried to go to or call Little Italy after a long day, only to realize that it’s closed. For example, while working on this essay I was sitting in a rehearsal which runs from 7:00-11:00pm. Afterwards a cast mate and I were going to get something to eat. Not believing me that they were closed, she called Little Italy, only to be disappointed at the cut in hours. Little Italy, and other popular restaurants, have late night hours on weekends, and students use them. However, during the week students are up just as late, studying, working, or procrastinating. Also, because Potsdam has such an active music school, along with active theater and dance programs, many students must attend late night rehearsals, concerts, or productions. It seems that having later hours during the week at places like Little Italy could be profitable.
Another disappointment about Little Italy is that it doesn’t deliver. Being such a popular pizza place, they seem like the perfect candidate for delivery service. I frequently see people picking up large orders for parties there. Because this is a college town, offering delivery would gain a restaurant many customers. From students who don’t own cars, as well as students who are hungry and may not be able to safely get themselves to their desired restaurant due to the time of night or possibly intoxication. From the business’ perspective, by offering delivery they could cut back on the number of belligerent students hanging around the restaurant late at night, potentially damaging things and disturbing other customers. On top of the basic advantages of offering delivery service in a college town, in Potsdam there is the added issue of the weather. I’ve noticed an increase in delivery cars from A#1 and The Bagelry waiting outside dorms and townhouses once the first snow hits. However, because of the weather, the availability of delivery from places which already offer it becomes unpredictable. The Bagelry and A#1 have both refused to deliver due to dangerous weather at times.
The weather in Potsdam may be motivation for some local restaurants not to offer delivery at all. Of course there is more of a demand for delivery when the temperature drops below zero and the roads are covered in ice, but is that extra profit worth the risk of sending an employee out in dangerous road conditions? Another reason restaurants might not offer delivery is because it may not be a profitable enough option to have when the weather isn’t as bad. A 2000 study in college towns showed that those living in college towns are four times more likely to walk and seven times more likely to commute by bicycle (Gumprecht, 55.) Students in my survey say they would go to a restaurant late, or order delivery all the time, but the truth is, business doesn’t seem to be strong enough for restaurants to put in the funds required to stay open later or pay for a delivery service. Little Italy used to be open later on Monday through Wednesday, so the cut back in hours implies that business just wasn’t profitable enough after 10:00pm early in the week.
Maybe there is a lack of communication between the students and local businesses. I never knew Little Italy’s hours of operation until this year when I tried to go and they were closed. Some students, like my cast mate, are still unaware of their change in hours. From my observations, it seems that students have a tendency to just guess which restaurants are open, accept Bear Express, or deliver. If there was more communication between local restaurants and students, maybe we could come up with a sort of unified schedule. In looking up the hours of local restaurants online, I found it was difficult to find hours for some restaurants, and others, like The Bagelry, don’t have hours or a menu available online. Also, looking at all of the hours of these restaurants, not one is open the same times all week.
Although part of the problem is students’ unawareness of business hours, students also have a tendency to exaggerate how often they would use these services. My survey results show, although all students report they would take advantage of delivery after 10:00pm, 70% also report the most convenient time for them to eat off campus is between 6:00-9:00pm. To build on my research, if a larger group of students could honestly assess how often they would actually take advantage of later hours or delivery service, it might be worth it for restaurants to stay open later, or invest in a delivery car. Perhaps Potsdam restaurants could offer seasonal hours or delivery during the academic year, or offer delivery service only during the winter or on the weekends. To address the weather safety issue, restaurants could have publicly available policies regarding what constitutes a severe enough weather situation to stop delivery. Then maybe local restaurants could be compiled into a list with menus, hours and delivery policies to be made easily available around campus, in print form and online. I believe that if students could find all that information in one place, they would be more likely to order or to go out late, because they would know they could.
As for members of the Potsdam community who aren’t students, I believe a lot of my argument pertains to them as well. Many Potsdam residents work at the universities and therefore share similar schedules to students. I believe many members of the community would be grateful for more convenience in local business. For example, look at the success of Walmart. When I’m at home I never shop at Walmart, but here, I find myself there at least once a week. Regardless of people’s opinions on the company itself, all kinds of community members are shopping there simply because we can’t get many of those products (or buy them after 10:00pm) anywhere else. The overwhelming majority of students surveyed reported doing their grocery shopping at Walmart. Because of the shared ownership of Potsdam businesses, offering later hours or delivery could benefit the town as a whole. Little Italy shares owners with Happy Daze and The Hookah House. If Little Italy began bringing in extra profits, the owners would have more of a profit overall, which could improve all the businesses owned by them and lead to more satisfied customers, thereby benefiting the entire community. The community might benefit if more restaurants in Potsdam delivered. There would be less risk of students on the road in bad weather conditions in which they are not accustomed to driving, or more dangerously, intoxicated students driving in a desperate attempt to find something to eat.
So yes, businesses in Potsdam do need to cater to the college demographic, but college students need to be more aware of and in communication with these businesses if we are going to have a more mutually beneficial relationship. If Potsdam restaurants and students could communicate better, and be more empathetic towards one another, we could create a better community for everyone.
Business Hours and Delivery:
The Bagelry
Delivers
Hours unavailable online
Little Italy:
Sunday Noon to 9:00pm
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10:30am to 10:00pm
Thursday, Friday,Saturday 10:30am to 3:00am
Only Pizza Served After 10:00pm
Can call in orders for pick up
Hours available online
A#1 Chinese
Mon-Thu-11:00am-10:30pm
Friday/Saturday-11:00am-11:00pm
Sunday-12:00pm-10:30pm
Offers delivery and pick up orders
Hours available online
First Crush
Mon/Tue-7:00am-2:00pm
Wed-Fri-7:00am-9:00pm
Sat-9:00am-9:00pm
Sun-Closed
Offers delivery between 11:00am-2:00pm, Hours available online
Scoopaccino’s
Sun-Thu-6:00am-9:00pm (hours vary depending on season)
Fri/Sat-6:00am-10:00pm
Offers drive thru pickup
Hours available online
Sergi’s
Mon/Tues-3:00pm-12:00am
Wed/Thu-11:00am-12:00am
Fri/Sat-11:00am-2:00am
Sun-11:00am to 12:00am
Delivery available, inaccurate hours available online
Works Cited
Gumprecht, Blake. "The American College Town." Geographical Review. 1st ed. Vol. 93. American Geographical Society. 51-80. JSTOR. Web. 20 Nov. 2009.
"Potsdam, New York." City-data. 2003. Web. 15 Nov. 2009.
Works Consulted
Cardone, Kenneth. "Learning to Eat." New England Journal of Higher Education 24.1 (2009): 12-13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2009.
Huntington, Derek. "The Hookah House opens in town". The Raquette 9-25-2009: 1-1.
Survey Results
-7 survey participants are male and 13 are female.
-Of those students who lived on campus, 7 live in a dorm while 3 live in a townhouse or suite/apartment.
-70% of students responded that it is most convenient for them to eat off campus between the hours of 6:00 and 9:00pm during the week, 40% reported after 9:00pm, 10% between 12:00-5:00pm and 10% don’t eat off campus during the week, no students found it most convenient to eat off campus before 12:00pm.
-75% of students do their grocery shopping at Walmart, 15% responded The Big M, while 1 student responded The Union Market and 1 responded P&C. No students reported grocery shopping at The Potsdam Food Co Op.
-50% of students would prefer having the option of late night delivery during the week, while the other 50% would prefer it on the weekend. No students reported that they would not use this convenience.
WAL-MART AND LOWE'S
Potsdam is full of many small businesses with great business owners. Wal-Mart opened in the spring of 2006, and it has made a great impact on the town. Now Lowe’s is going to open as well and contribute to the competition that Wal-Mart has already created. These three essays are about Wal-Mart and Lowe's in Potsdam. The students that came to Potsdam prior to Wal-Mart’s opening have a different perspective than the students that were here before. Most of the students that always had Wal-Mart as an option don't even shop at the small businesses, and they don't know what they're missing. The small businesses offer a comfortable environment with more hospitality than a Wal-Mart or Lowe’s could ever offer. Wal-Mart may have a better variety and prices, but these small businesses still have a lot to bring to the table. Just as small businesses will also bring a lot of competition to Lowe’s, and show how small communities are affected by these big box stores.
Tyler McDonald: The Global Economy has changed the way people see businesses. Everything is money. In this Essay, I discuss the problems communities face with Lowe’s, and big box stores in general. You will find out there is more to lose then there is to gain. Local Businesses are in a fight for their lives.
Also see essays by Tony and Jon.
Tyler McDonald: The Global Economy has changed the way people see businesses. Everything is money. In this Essay, I discuss the problems communities face with Lowe’s, and big box stores in general. You will find out there is more to lose then there is to gain. Local Businesses are in a fight for their lives.
Also see essays by Tony and Jon.
Will Lowe’s Hurt Small Business?
By Tyler McDonald
When I think of small businesses, I think of hard working men and women who fought to get where they are. I think of the work it took them to own their business, and the money they spent to make their dreams come true. There are small businesses all over our country that are full of hardworking men and women that are trying to make an honest living. In this current recession, it is hard for many of these businesses to stay open. There are big businesses everyday asking for bailouts and tax cuts just to stay afloat, and they get them. The only problem is that these big businesses stay open while small businesses are closing left and right. With big box stores always expanding, it is hard for small businesses to compete. In our small community of Potsdam, this is becoming a problem. With the opening of Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply Company, and possibly Lowe’s, we might see some hard times for local businessmen. There are many problems that citizens find with these companies, but there are others who want them. Therefore, I have been researching the problem with the Lowe’s company coming into Potsdam, and how it affects similar businesses.
This is a very important problem that the Potsdam community faces because it affects every citizen. The new Lowe’s store would bring 120 new jobs to our community, and provide a one stop shop for all of our home improvement needs (Rich). Although this seems great for our community, others see it another way. In a 2007 letter to the civic center, Mary Strong advocates that local officials deny these companies to come into our town. She states,
This letter is very descriptive in pointing out the effects of having big box stores in our village. Although there are many opportunities for more jobs, and a better economy for Potsdam, it is at the expense of local businesses. Mary Strong believes that accepting Lowe’s into our community would be selling out our fellow citizens. So, she is trying to get the village officials to see that accepting big box stores into our community will eventually tear down small local businesses.
This issue has not seen much attention lately due to the fact that the issue was old news. The store has been built, but hasn’t been opened for a year, so people have lost interest. Nonetheless it should be seen as a huge issue for the local citizens, and especially local businessmen. With the effect of Lowe’s in mind, I decided to contact local businessmen to find out their thoughts. I contacted three local hardware/lumber retailers. They are Bicknell Building Supply on Potsdam-Canton Road, J C Merriman Inc. on Route 56, and Evans and White Ace Hardware on Maple Street. All three owners were able to sit down and talk to me about their views on Lowe’s coming to Potsdam.
The first man I talked to was Bob Bicknell. What I saw in Mr. Bicknell was a lot of confidence in his business. I first asked Mr. Bicknell to supply me with some facts about his business. His store employs around 15 people. The store has been open since 1949, and was purchased in 1972 by his family. The store has also only had two families own it. Then I moved on to the impact of Lowe’s. I asked Mr. Bicknell if he believed that Lowe’s could possibly run him out of business. He replied, “Not at all.” He went on to say that he and his employees will just have to work harder. He said that Lowe’s is competition just like every other store. He did tell me that there already is a lot of competition in the Potsdam area, so they will just have to work a little harder. He also said that he would rather not see them come to Potsdam, but it is the same for any store that brings more competition. He states, “There is only so much business to be had. Initially people will go because it is a new store. The same thing happened when Wal-Mart opened up. Eventually everything will pan out back to normal.” I asked Mr. Bicknell about the loyalty of customers and of boycotting Lowe’s. He said, “Only a very small minority will boycott big box stores, and customers are only loyal to the fact that they get a good price and product” (Bicknell). When I spoke of the 120 new jobs that Lowe’s would bring (Rich), he said, “They don’t bring any new jobs; they are just taking jobs away from the businesses that are already here.” With Mr. Bicknell’s great perspective, I thought that he was extremely optimistic about the possible impact of Lowe’s. Mr. Bicknell even said that he wishes they built the store next to Wal-Mart, just so when people get sick of Lowe’s, the first store they come to is his (Bicknell). If you ask me, I would say Mr. Bicknell is not too worried.
The next owner I talked to was Charles Merriman. As I went to his store on Route 56, I almost left because there were so many cars in the parking lot. It looked to me as if they were extremely busy, and I did not want to be a bother, but I went in anyway. And to my amazement, there was not a single person in the store. They all belonged to employees. So, from that point I already knew he employed a lot of people, because they were employees vehicles. So, my first question was how many people he employed. He said they employed 33 people. Then I began to ask Mr. Merriman about Lowe’s. I asked him when and if Lowe’s opens up, do you believe it will hurt your business? He answered, “Obviously yes.” He then went on to say that it could take some of his business, and possibly even some of his employees. I then asked him if he thought they would run him out of business. He said “Anything’s possible. They are very diverse, so they pose a lot of competition.” I asked if he would prefer that Lowe’s stayed out of Potsdam, and he said “Obviously. I never want more competition” (Merriman). Looking at what I had seen from Mr. Merriman, I would say he has the most to lose from Lowe’s coming to Potsdam. He employs a lot of people, and that may be largely affected by Lowe’s. He has the closest store to the new Lowe’s, and with the increased competition I believe he might possibly have to downsize.
My last interview was with Bill Evans from Evans and White Ace Hardware. I first asked Mr. Evans how many employees he has, and he told me he employs 20 people. The store was opened up in 1922 by his grandfather. I then asked Mr. Evans if companies, such as the Tractor Supply Company, have already affected his business. He said, “It is hard to tell because the economy changed at the same time. So, there is no real way of telling.” I then asked Mr. Evans what he thought Lowe’s would do to his business, and if they would hurt his business. He answered saying “There is still a lot of unknown, so time will tell.” I then asked, for the sake of your business, would you prefer that Lowe’s did not come to Potsdam. He said, “Absolutely, no one wants more competition, and that is the same for everybody.” I did not see Mr. Evans as being at all intimidated by the thought of Lowe’s. He just saw it as more competition, just like Bob Bicknell.
At the conclusion of all of my interviews, I learned a lot about the town of Potsdam and small businesses. I was surprised by the answers I got from these business owners. Mr. Evans and Mr. Bicknell were not intimidated by Lowe’s at all. They were very confident in their businesses, and for good reason. Both of their stores have been operating for at least half a century, so I call that a good business. Mr. Merriman did not seem quite as confident about his business, but he is just very concerned. I believe he has the most to lose because his location is the closest to Lowe’s, and he has the most employees. It would be a huge loss for 33 people to lose their jobs. So, I would say I got two different views on my subject, but they were all very concerned with their businesses. As Mr. Evans said, only time will tell.
Now I will expand my research to include more than the town of Potsdam. My bigger picture incorporates the effects of other big businesses on small businesses. So it will not only be about Lowe’s, but will be about big box retailers. I found that many other small communities have fought big box retailers to kick them out of their towns. A Newsday article reported that a group of activists opposed the opening of a new Wal-Mart in East Patchogue. They picketed for the Wal-Mart to be disapproved by the town board because they did not want the havoc of a Wal-Mart. They said that traffic was already horrible around there, and they did not want local business to be under stimulated (“Protesters”). This just goes to show that there is resistance in many small communities across the United States. In Santa Rosa, California, a group of protestors helped convince the city council to reject a Lowe’s store (Mitchell). The protestors were a group of local businessman and residents who have created a group called GoLocal Cooperative. Their goal is to get people to turn more towards local businesses instead of big box stores. The article stated, “Local business owners argued that Lowe's would not bring in new money, but only siphon revenue away from existing businesses, eliminating jobs and shift[ing] wealth out of the community” (Mitchell). This is essentially the same thing Mr. Bicknell said to me in our interview. He said that they would not create 120 new jobs, but they would just take away workers from other businesses (Bicknell). This is an essential arguing point for big box stores; there is always the “new jobs” argument that is made. Stores are always saying how many new jobs they will bring. So, these are very strong points, by not only the GoLocal Cooperative, but by Mr. Bicknell. It completely negates Lowe’s argument for new jobs, and that is their strongest argument.
An article by Thomas Harris discusses the impact of Wal-Mart on local economies. The study stated that Wal-Mart Super Centers have a negative impact on local food retailers, but after 2 years the effect dissipates (Harris). This is very significant, because many people see Wal-Mart as running local stores out of business. This study was based in Mississippi, and was only focused on food retailers. But, nonetheless, this study has shown that if a small business can survive 2 years, then there is a possibility to regain economic success. The study also said that local businesses lower prices overall due to Wal-Mart coming in (Harris). Wal-Mart’s competition will eventually make local businesses lower their prices in order to survive. So, Wal-Mart’s effect may not be as negative as everyone may believe, and the same could be said for any big box retailer. Only time will tell for our local economy.
While discussing all of these many issues, we must see if there is any possible solution. There is no solution to make people shop at local merchants instead of big box retailers, but there is another answer. The state of Maine has recently passed a law that states, any store that is to be over 75,000 square feet will have to pay for an impact study to be done (“Maine”). The store retailer will have to pay $40,000 to the appropriate town to do a study on the store’s effect on the environment, local businesses, and municipal services. Six other states in the past two years have tried to pass a similar law, but they were rejected. The law also states that if the study shows a negative impact, then Maine will not allow the store to be built (Maine). Some Maine business groups will attempt to have the law revised in January at a legislative session (Maine). This law helps solve a lot of problems people find with big box stores. It will help for residents and councilmen to see the true impact of big box stores on their town. The fact is, many big box stores will not go to Maine to build new stores. They will be able to build in cities, but they will have a tough time building in smaller towns. There is no doubt in my mind that if this law was in effect in New York, there would not a Lowe’s and Wal-Mart here. This law would bring local businesses a lot more power over their fate, so I believe it is a great law to pass. This is a possible solution for many problems that people see with big box stores.
After completing all of my research, I have had many thoughts. On one hand, I do see that it is not a big box store’s fault that they have the potential to shut down small locally owned businesses. Isn’t that the nature of capitalism? So, while a lot of people get angry about these large scale stores, they need to put into perspective that they are also running a business that started out small just like every big box store did. I also see the other side, and that is the side I agree with more. I do believe something needs to be done about big box stores taking small businesses out. I think the stores should stick to the more developed towns, such as Massena or Watertown. Sticking to towns like these would be best because they have already been developed, and there is not much resistance there. Massena has factories and a mall, so they are very well developed, but Potsdam is still small and local. Maine has set a precedent for all other states to follow, which I hope they do follow. That is a great law because it opens up peoples eyes to what will really happen. A town councilman might think a new Lowe’s is a good idea, but after the impact study he sees that it would be a negative effect. Now that is helping out your local community, because you don’t want something to negatively impact you. I think this is a very hard issue, because no side is truly at fault. People need to take a step back and look at the whole perspective, in both points of views. I do believe the Maine impact study would solve a lot of problems, because it would give you that perspective.
In conclusion, my research has shown me a lot. I see the hardworking men and women who are very concerned with their business, which they have every right to be. In the process of writing this paper I have found out that Lowe’s will open on Route 56 sometime before Christmas. The opening has been delayed for an entire year, but the employees are now stocking the shelves (“Lowe’s Opening”). With this in mind, I do feel for the men I talked to, because they have their livelihood at stake, while Lowe’s is a fortune 500 company. Lowe’s could close 10 years from now, but the impact could have already been drastic. I hope these local businesses can stay going because they are good people who work hard. So, the next time you shop at Lowe’s or Home Depot, just check out your options. There is no guarantee that you will get a better product from them, so just keep your options open, because the hospitality and knowledgeable attention you get from a local business, might not be equivalent to a big box store.
Works Cited unavailable
When I think of small businesses, I think of hard working men and women who fought to get where they are. I think of the work it took them to own their business, and the money they spent to make their dreams come true. There are small businesses all over our country that are full of hardworking men and women that are trying to make an honest living. In this current recession, it is hard for many of these businesses to stay open. There are big businesses everyday asking for bailouts and tax cuts just to stay afloat, and they get them. The only problem is that these big businesses stay open while small businesses are closing left and right. With big box stores always expanding, it is hard for small businesses to compete. In our small community of Potsdam, this is becoming a problem. With the opening of Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply Company, and possibly Lowe’s, we might see some hard times for local businessmen. There are many problems that citizens find with these companies, but there are others who want them. Therefore, I have been researching the problem with the Lowe’s company coming into Potsdam, and how it affects similar businesses.
This is a very important problem that the Potsdam community faces because it affects every citizen. The new Lowe’s store would bring 120 new jobs to our community, and provide a one stop shop for all of our home improvement needs (Rich). Although this seems great for our community, others see it another way. In a 2007 letter to the civic center, Mary Strong advocates that local officials deny these companies to come into our town. She states,
It’s a fact that downtowns across the nation have turned into boarded up storefronts. Yet, for every deserted storefront there is a story of the ambitious, happy, hardworking people that once took pride in making a living there…. I own several apartments and do the repairs myself. I have been to Lowe’s, Home Depot, and other big box stores to search for products, yet, I always come back to the local retailers since I find better quality, and yes, lower prices! The Village Officials need to do some serious soul searching. What is the long term price of buying these low cost, and most times low quality imported goods? Perhaps it’s human nature to seek a bargain. But as the years pass, and more and more box stores pop up in the outskirts of our villages, what will the real price be (Strong).
This letter is very descriptive in pointing out the effects of having big box stores in our village. Although there are many opportunities for more jobs, and a better economy for Potsdam, it is at the expense of local businesses. Mary Strong believes that accepting Lowe’s into our community would be selling out our fellow citizens. So, she is trying to get the village officials to see that accepting big box stores into our community will eventually tear down small local businesses.
This issue has not seen much attention lately due to the fact that the issue was old news. The store has been built, but hasn’t been opened for a year, so people have lost interest. Nonetheless it should be seen as a huge issue for the local citizens, and especially local businessmen. With the effect of Lowe’s in mind, I decided to contact local businessmen to find out their thoughts. I contacted three local hardware/lumber retailers. They are Bicknell Building Supply on Potsdam-Canton Road, J C Merriman Inc. on Route 56, and Evans and White Ace Hardware on Maple Street. All three owners were able to sit down and talk to me about their views on Lowe’s coming to Potsdam.
The first man I talked to was Bob Bicknell. What I saw in Mr. Bicknell was a lot of confidence in his business. I first asked Mr. Bicknell to supply me with some facts about his business. His store employs around 15 people. The store has been open since 1949, and was purchased in 1972 by his family. The store has also only had two families own it. Then I moved on to the impact of Lowe’s. I asked Mr. Bicknell if he believed that Lowe’s could possibly run him out of business. He replied, “Not at all.” He went on to say that he and his employees will just have to work harder. He said that Lowe’s is competition just like every other store. He did tell me that there already is a lot of competition in the Potsdam area, so they will just have to work a little harder. He also said that he would rather not see them come to Potsdam, but it is the same for any store that brings more competition. He states, “There is only so much business to be had. Initially people will go because it is a new store. The same thing happened when Wal-Mart opened up. Eventually everything will pan out back to normal.” I asked Mr. Bicknell about the loyalty of customers and of boycotting Lowe’s. He said, “Only a very small minority will boycott big box stores, and customers are only loyal to the fact that they get a good price and product” (Bicknell). When I spoke of the 120 new jobs that Lowe’s would bring (Rich), he said, “They don’t bring any new jobs; they are just taking jobs away from the businesses that are already here.” With Mr. Bicknell’s great perspective, I thought that he was extremely optimistic about the possible impact of Lowe’s. Mr. Bicknell even said that he wishes they built the store next to Wal-Mart, just so when people get sick of Lowe’s, the first store they come to is his (Bicknell). If you ask me, I would say Mr. Bicknell is not too worried.
The next owner I talked to was Charles Merriman. As I went to his store on Route 56, I almost left because there were so many cars in the parking lot. It looked to me as if they were extremely busy, and I did not want to be a bother, but I went in anyway. And to my amazement, there was not a single person in the store. They all belonged to employees. So, from that point I already knew he employed a lot of people, because they were employees vehicles. So, my first question was how many people he employed. He said they employed 33 people. Then I began to ask Mr. Merriman about Lowe’s. I asked him when and if Lowe’s opens up, do you believe it will hurt your business? He answered, “Obviously yes.” He then went on to say that it could take some of his business, and possibly even some of his employees. I then asked him if he thought they would run him out of business. He said “Anything’s possible. They are very diverse, so they pose a lot of competition.” I asked if he would prefer that Lowe’s stayed out of Potsdam, and he said “Obviously. I never want more competition” (Merriman). Looking at what I had seen from Mr. Merriman, I would say he has the most to lose from Lowe’s coming to Potsdam. He employs a lot of people, and that may be largely affected by Lowe’s. He has the closest store to the new Lowe’s, and with the increased competition I believe he might possibly have to downsize.
My last interview was with Bill Evans from Evans and White Ace Hardware. I first asked Mr. Evans how many employees he has, and he told me he employs 20 people. The store was opened up in 1922 by his grandfather. I then asked Mr. Evans if companies, such as the Tractor Supply Company, have already affected his business. He said, “It is hard to tell because the economy changed at the same time. So, there is no real way of telling.” I then asked Mr. Evans what he thought Lowe’s would do to his business, and if they would hurt his business. He answered saying “There is still a lot of unknown, so time will tell.” I then asked, for the sake of your business, would you prefer that Lowe’s did not come to Potsdam. He said, “Absolutely, no one wants more competition, and that is the same for everybody.” I did not see Mr. Evans as being at all intimidated by the thought of Lowe’s. He just saw it as more competition, just like Bob Bicknell.
At the conclusion of all of my interviews, I learned a lot about the town of Potsdam and small businesses. I was surprised by the answers I got from these business owners. Mr. Evans and Mr. Bicknell were not intimidated by Lowe’s at all. They were very confident in their businesses, and for good reason. Both of their stores have been operating for at least half a century, so I call that a good business. Mr. Merriman did not seem quite as confident about his business, but he is just very concerned. I believe he has the most to lose because his location is the closest to Lowe’s, and he has the most employees. It would be a huge loss for 33 people to lose their jobs. So, I would say I got two different views on my subject, but they were all very concerned with their businesses. As Mr. Evans said, only time will tell.
Now I will expand my research to include more than the town of Potsdam. My bigger picture incorporates the effects of other big businesses on small businesses. So it will not only be about Lowe’s, but will be about big box retailers. I found that many other small communities have fought big box retailers to kick them out of their towns. A Newsday article reported that a group of activists opposed the opening of a new Wal-Mart in East Patchogue. They picketed for the Wal-Mart to be disapproved by the town board because they did not want the havoc of a Wal-Mart. They said that traffic was already horrible around there, and they did not want local business to be under stimulated (“Protesters”). This just goes to show that there is resistance in many small communities across the United States. In Santa Rosa, California, a group of protestors helped convince the city council to reject a Lowe’s store (Mitchell). The protestors were a group of local businessman and residents who have created a group called GoLocal Cooperative. Their goal is to get people to turn more towards local businesses instead of big box stores. The article stated, “Local business owners argued that Lowe's would not bring in new money, but only siphon revenue away from existing businesses, eliminating jobs and shift[ing] wealth out of the community” (Mitchell). This is essentially the same thing Mr. Bicknell said to me in our interview. He said that they would not create 120 new jobs, but they would just take away workers from other businesses (Bicknell). This is an essential arguing point for big box stores; there is always the “new jobs” argument that is made. Stores are always saying how many new jobs they will bring. So, these are very strong points, by not only the GoLocal Cooperative, but by Mr. Bicknell. It completely negates Lowe’s argument for new jobs, and that is their strongest argument.
An article by Thomas Harris discusses the impact of Wal-Mart on local economies. The study stated that Wal-Mart Super Centers have a negative impact on local food retailers, but after 2 years the effect dissipates (Harris). This is very significant, because many people see Wal-Mart as running local stores out of business. This study was based in Mississippi, and was only focused on food retailers. But, nonetheless, this study has shown that if a small business can survive 2 years, then there is a possibility to regain economic success. The study also said that local businesses lower prices overall due to Wal-Mart coming in (Harris). Wal-Mart’s competition will eventually make local businesses lower their prices in order to survive. So, Wal-Mart’s effect may not be as negative as everyone may believe, and the same could be said for any big box retailer. Only time will tell for our local economy.
While discussing all of these many issues, we must see if there is any possible solution. There is no solution to make people shop at local merchants instead of big box retailers, but there is another answer. The state of Maine has recently passed a law that states, any store that is to be over 75,000 square feet will have to pay for an impact study to be done (“Maine”). The store retailer will have to pay $40,000 to the appropriate town to do a study on the store’s effect on the environment, local businesses, and municipal services. Six other states in the past two years have tried to pass a similar law, but they were rejected. The law also states that if the study shows a negative impact, then Maine will not allow the store to be built (Maine). Some Maine business groups will attempt to have the law revised in January at a legislative session (Maine). This law helps solve a lot of problems people find with big box stores. It will help for residents and councilmen to see the true impact of big box stores on their town. The fact is, many big box stores will not go to Maine to build new stores. They will be able to build in cities, but they will have a tough time building in smaller towns. There is no doubt in my mind that if this law was in effect in New York, there would not a Lowe’s and Wal-Mart here. This law would bring local businesses a lot more power over their fate, so I believe it is a great law to pass. This is a possible solution for many problems that people see with big box stores.
After completing all of my research, I have had many thoughts. On one hand, I do see that it is not a big box store’s fault that they have the potential to shut down small locally owned businesses. Isn’t that the nature of capitalism? So, while a lot of people get angry about these large scale stores, they need to put into perspective that they are also running a business that started out small just like every big box store did. I also see the other side, and that is the side I agree with more. I do believe something needs to be done about big box stores taking small businesses out. I think the stores should stick to the more developed towns, such as Massena or Watertown. Sticking to towns like these would be best because they have already been developed, and there is not much resistance there. Massena has factories and a mall, so they are very well developed, but Potsdam is still small and local. Maine has set a precedent for all other states to follow, which I hope they do follow. That is a great law because it opens up peoples eyes to what will really happen. A town councilman might think a new Lowe’s is a good idea, but after the impact study he sees that it would be a negative effect. Now that is helping out your local community, because you don’t want something to negatively impact you. I think this is a very hard issue, because no side is truly at fault. People need to take a step back and look at the whole perspective, in both points of views. I do believe the Maine impact study would solve a lot of problems, because it would give you that perspective.
In conclusion, my research has shown me a lot. I see the hardworking men and women who are very concerned with their business, which they have every right to be. In the process of writing this paper I have found out that Lowe’s will open on Route 56 sometime before Christmas. The opening has been delayed for an entire year, but the employees are now stocking the shelves (“Lowe’s Opening”). With this in mind, I do feel for the men I talked to, because they have their livelihood at stake, while Lowe’s is a fortune 500 company. Lowe’s could close 10 years from now, but the impact could have already been drastic. I hope these local businesses can stay going because they are good people who work hard. So, the next time you shop at Lowe’s or Home Depot, just check out your options. There is no guarantee that you will get a better product from them, so just keep your options open, because the hospitality and knowledgeable attention you get from a local business, might not be equivalent to a big box store.
Works Cited unavailable
How does Walmart affect the small businesses in Potsdam
By Anthony Odierno
Walmart is one of the (if not the) largest retailers in the world. In 2009, this superstore earned over 400 billion dollars in revenues, and was ranked number 2 for fortune 500 companies (Wikinvest). Walmart is a chain that operates 7,873 stores worldwide, and it is growing every year (Wikinvest). With Walmart’s great variety and cheap prices, it is almost impossible for small businesses to compete. This is why I chose to look at my topic: How does Walmarts arrival in Potsdam affect the small businesses around.
I think that this is an important topic because there are so many small businesses that are losing money and going out of business. This is due to the fact that Walmart is opening new stores constantly and they offer such a large variety. In Potsdam, there are many small businesses that have been around for a long time; and now that Walmart is here that could end. Walmarts addition of groceries, as well as prescription drugs, has made so many small businesses inadequate. There are many small businesses on Market and Main Street, and now they all are in jeopardy of suffering the competitiveness of Walmart.
I personally know that Walmart affects the small businesses in Potsdam because the only shopping I have done since I’ve been going to school here is at Walmart. I Came to Potsdam last year, when Walmart was brand new, and I have given them all my business so far. The older students didn’t have Walmart as an option prior to last year, and they had to do all of their shopping at the small businesses in town. Now that Walmart is built most of them even go there versus the other businesses. The fact that you can go to one store (Walmart) and do all your shopping, versus several stores is really contributing to this issue. I am not sure if you would call that laziness, but probably just more convenient. The loss of business endured by the small businesses could be too harsh for them to remain operating.
This is an important topic for everyone, not only business owners. It affects both the employees of these businesses and the consumers. The employees of any business will receive greater pay and benefits, if their company or employer is doing financially well. If they are struggling financially, then their will most likely be cutback, layoffs, and more tension in the workplace. For consumers, multiple small businesses going bankrupt will decrease competition, and prices will rise. When there is more competition prices will go down, because businesses want people to choose them over the competition. Eventually, Walmarts prices will rise in Potsdam, and everywhere, because their level of competition is declining.
Unlike Walmart, these small businesses don’t earn billions of dollars. They would be lucky to make making over 100,000 dollars a year. Their revenues are usually just enough to cover expenses, with just a small amount of profit. When their expenses exceed their revenues, they will have to go out of business. This had been the outcome of a couple businesses in Potsdam so far, but will this happen to other businesses as well? Did these businesses go out of business just because of Walmart or were their other factors? Is Walmart just an excuse for why some businesses go out of business? What do business owners think about Walmart, and how has it affected them and the town? To answer these questions I have done both library research and field work. I have found several different kinds of sources, conducted interviews, passed out surveys, and made observations.
Over the past 20 years the U.S. has lost over 11,000 pharmacies, 5000 hardware stores and 2000 bookstores, along with an unknown number of grocers, clothing, and other independent retailers (Mitchell 2005). Many communities welcome Walmart, on the assumption that it will create jobs and tax revenues. However, according to a study conducted by Dr. Kenneth Stone, superstores displace sales at existing businesses (Mitchell 2005). In result, these stores downsize or close and the communities end up losing more jobs than they gained (Mitchell 2005). Additionally, Walmart stores require a lot of road maintenance around their locations, and this can be very costly. Also, they generate a large number of police calls, for suspected check fraud and shoplifting. In some communities, these costs actually exceed the tax revenue generated by the Superstores (Mitchell). Besides costing the communities money and jobs, Walmart also doesn’t contribute as much as small businesses. According to Stacy Mitchell, “every $100 spent at an independent store generates $23 more in local economic activity than $100 spent at a chain.” Furthermore, studies have shown that small businesses donate a larger share of their revenue to charitable causes than big businesses. This shows that in most cases Superstores adverse effects are greater than their benefit for both the businesses and the communities.
On the other hand, I found opposing information through my interviews and some of my surveys. Tom de Rosa believes that Walmart is actually good for his business. Tom was the economic developer in Potsdam for two years, and now he owns a coffee shop on Market Street. He thinks that having a Walmart in Potsdam brings more people into the town, and that these people spend more money here. He gave an example by saying that before Walmart was located in Potsdam, he would spend a day in Massena doing all his shopping. He said that while he was in Massena he would go somewhere to eat and spend time and money at other businesses as well. This shows that Massena having good shopping centers actually adds to other businesses around by increasing the number of potential customers. Tom’s opinion is supported by an article called “The Wal-Mart effect: Wave of destruction or creative destruction?” This article states that it is better to have a Walmart open in one’s own town than in a neighboring jurisdiction (Paruchuri 2009). It says that having a Walmart in your town, doesn’t kill of businesses, but it may cause more people to be scared to start a business. So it does have an effect on the community that it is located in, but it is more of a “scaring off” effect than a “killing off” effect (Paruchuri 2009). However, in neighboring towns it is the opposite; it has a “killing off” effect and not a “scaring off” effect. This shows that having a Walmart in a community doesn’t force the small businesses around out of businesses.
I also interviewed the owner of Big M, and surprisingly she likes Walmart and thinks it was needed in the community. She, along with other people, actually tried to get it in Potsdam. This was very surprising to me because unlike Tom de Rosa who owns a coffee shop, she owns a grocery store; which would be in direct competition with the Superstore. According to her, Walmart hasn’t affected her business because the community likes Big M and she has loyal customers. She doesn’t ever think that she will go out of business, especially not in result of the Potsdam Walmart. She even supported Tom’s opinion that Walmart brings more traffic into Potsdam, and could even help the businesses in town.
So if Tom and Big M’s owner are right about Walmart helping the businesses in Potsdam, than why have a few businesses closed since Walmarts been here? According to them, it is because of poor business owners and poor planning. Tom believes that business owners aren’t dedicated enough to their business and they need to spend a lot of time every week to be successful. He said that some people will have a full time job and just try to open a business to earn a little extra money on the side. Tom quit his job so he could concentrate fully on his business, and he believes that is what you have to do survive. Additionally, he said that some businesses will overestimate sales and underestimate expenses. This would result in their expected profits to be far different form their actual earnings, which could cause them to lose money and go bankrupt.
Through my interviews with Tom and Big M I found great information from two successful business owners, but I wanted to get the opinions from surrounding businesses as well. To do so I gathered 9 surveys that were filled out by either the owner or the manager at other local businesses. Again, most of the results that I got back were shocking to me. Most of them stated that they like Walmart and it is convenient. 3 of the businesses said that Walmart actually helps their business, and 3 of them said that it has no effect on their revenues. While only the Movie Rental Store stated that Walmart forces people not to shop at the local stores, because you can get everything at once at Walmart. Merchant 1 also supported the comment that you can get everything done at once at Walmart, but said nothing about it forcing people away from the local stores.
Through my field work I found that Potsdam is a great and easy place to own a business and that Walmart doesn’t change that. Walmart does make businesses diversify, but with good business skills it shouldn’t cause them to go out of business. Walmart brings in more people to Potsdam, and gives the town more traffic and customers. I even found out that some of the local businesses even shop at Walmart for some of their supplies. So far, The Giant Tiger, The Green House, and Hackets have closed down. They just didn’t renew their leases because they weren’t making enough money. Tom and Big M’s owner both said that this would have most likely happened even if Walmart was not in the picture. This again supports my claim that Walmart doesn’t negatively affect these businesses, but forces the poorly managed and unsuccessful businesses out of the market.
Works cited unavailable
Walmart is one of the (if not the) largest retailers in the world. In 2009, this superstore earned over 400 billion dollars in revenues, and was ranked number 2 for fortune 500 companies (Wikinvest). Walmart is a chain that operates 7,873 stores worldwide, and it is growing every year (Wikinvest). With Walmart’s great variety and cheap prices, it is almost impossible for small businesses to compete. This is why I chose to look at my topic: How does Walmarts arrival in Potsdam affect the small businesses around.
I think that this is an important topic because there are so many small businesses that are losing money and going out of business. This is due to the fact that Walmart is opening new stores constantly and they offer such a large variety. In Potsdam, there are many small businesses that have been around for a long time; and now that Walmart is here that could end. Walmarts addition of groceries, as well as prescription drugs, has made so many small businesses inadequate. There are many small businesses on Market and Main Street, and now they all are in jeopardy of suffering the competitiveness of Walmart.
I personally know that Walmart affects the small businesses in Potsdam because the only shopping I have done since I’ve been going to school here is at Walmart. I Came to Potsdam last year, when Walmart was brand new, and I have given them all my business so far. The older students didn’t have Walmart as an option prior to last year, and they had to do all of their shopping at the small businesses in town. Now that Walmart is built most of them even go there versus the other businesses. The fact that you can go to one store (Walmart) and do all your shopping, versus several stores is really contributing to this issue. I am not sure if you would call that laziness, but probably just more convenient. The loss of business endured by the small businesses could be too harsh for them to remain operating.
This is an important topic for everyone, not only business owners. It affects both the employees of these businesses and the consumers. The employees of any business will receive greater pay and benefits, if their company or employer is doing financially well. If they are struggling financially, then their will most likely be cutback, layoffs, and more tension in the workplace. For consumers, multiple small businesses going bankrupt will decrease competition, and prices will rise. When there is more competition prices will go down, because businesses want people to choose them over the competition. Eventually, Walmarts prices will rise in Potsdam, and everywhere, because their level of competition is declining.
Unlike Walmart, these small businesses don’t earn billions of dollars. They would be lucky to make making over 100,000 dollars a year. Their revenues are usually just enough to cover expenses, with just a small amount of profit. When their expenses exceed their revenues, they will have to go out of business. This had been the outcome of a couple businesses in Potsdam so far, but will this happen to other businesses as well? Did these businesses go out of business just because of Walmart or were their other factors? Is Walmart just an excuse for why some businesses go out of business? What do business owners think about Walmart, and how has it affected them and the town? To answer these questions I have done both library research and field work. I have found several different kinds of sources, conducted interviews, passed out surveys, and made observations.
Over the past 20 years the U.S. has lost over 11,000 pharmacies, 5000 hardware stores and 2000 bookstores, along with an unknown number of grocers, clothing, and other independent retailers (Mitchell 2005). Many communities welcome Walmart, on the assumption that it will create jobs and tax revenues. However, according to a study conducted by Dr. Kenneth Stone, superstores displace sales at existing businesses (Mitchell 2005). In result, these stores downsize or close and the communities end up losing more jobs than they gained (Mitchell 2005). Additionally, Walmart stores require a lot of road maintenance around their locations, and this can be very costly. Also, they generate a large number of police calls, for suspected check fraud and shoplifting. In some communities, these costs actually exceed the tax revenue generated by the Superstores (Mitchell). Besides costing the communities money and jobs, Walmart also doesn’t contribute as much as small businesses. According to Stacy Mitchell, “every $100 spent at an independent store generates $23 more in local economic activity than $100 spent at a chain.” Furthermore, studies have shown that small businesses donate a larger share of their revenue to charitable causes than big businesses. This shows that in most cases Superstores adverse effects are greater than their benefit for both the businesses and the communities.
On the other hand, I found opposing information through my interviews and some of my surveys. Tom de Rosa believes that Walmart is actually good for his business. Tom was the economic developer in Potsdam for two years, and now he owns a coffee shop on Market Street. He thinks that having a Walmart in Potsdam brings more people into the town, and that these people spend more money here. He gave an example by saying that before Walmart was located in Potsdam, he would spend a day in Massena doing all his shopping. He said that while he was in Massena he would go somewhere to eat and spend time and money at other businesses as well. This shows that Massena having good shopping centers actually adds to other businesses around by increasing the number of potential customers. Tom’s opinion is supported by an article called “The Wal-Mart effect: Wave of destruction or creative destruction?” This article states that it is better to have a Walmart open in one’s own town than in a neighboring jurisdiction (Paruchuri 2009). It says that having a Walmart in your town, doesn’t kill of businesses, but it may cause more people to be scared to start a business. So it does have an effect on the community that it is located in, but it is more of a “scaring off” effect than a “killing off” effect (Paruchuri 2009). However, in neighboring towns it is the opposite; it has a “killing off” effect and not a “scaring off” effect. This shows that having a Walmart in a community doesn’t force the small businesses around out of businesses.
I also interviewed the owner of Big M, and surprisingly she likes Walmart and thinks it was needed in the community. She, along with other people, actually tried to get it in Potsdam. This was very surprising to me because unlike Tom de Rosa who owns a coffee shop, she owns a grocery store; which would be in direct competition with the Superstore. According to her, Walmart hasn’t affected her business because the community likes Big M and she has loyal customers. She doesn’t ever think that she will go out of business, especially not in result of the Potsdam Walmart. She even supported Tom’s opinion that Walmart brings more traffic into Potsdam, and could even help the businesses in town.
So if Tom and Big M’s owner are right about Walmart helping the businesses in Potsdam, than why have a few businesses closed since Walmarts been here? According to them, it is because of poor business owners and poor planning. Tom believes that business owners aren’t dedicated enough to their business and they need to spend a lot of time every week to be successful. He said that some people will have a full time job and just try to open a business to earn a little extra money on the side. Tom quit his job so he could concentrate fully on his business, and he believes that is what you have to do survive. Additionally, he said that some businesses will overestimate sales and underestimate expenses. This would result in their expected profits to be far different form their actual earnings, which could cause them to lose money and go bankrupt.
Through my interviews with Tom and Big M I found great information from two successful business owners, but I wanted to get the opinions from surrounding businesses as well. To do so I gathered 9 surveys that were filled out by either the owner or the manager at other local businesses. Again, most of the results that I got back were shocking to me. Most of them stated that they like Walmart and it is convenient. 3 of the businesses said that Walmart actually helps their business, and 3 of them said that it has no effect on their revenues. While only the Movie Rental Store stated that Walmart forces people not to shop at the local stores, because you can get everything at once at Walmart. Merchant 1 also supported the comment that you can get everything done at once at Walmart, but said nothing about it forcing people away from the local stores.
Through my field work I found that Potsdam is a great and easy place to own a business and that Walmart doesn’t change that. Walmart does make businesses diversify, but with good business skills it shouldn’t cause them to go out of business. Walmart brings in more people to Potsdam, and gives the town more traffic and customers. I even found out that some of the local businesses even shop at Walmart for some of their supplies. So far, The Giant Tiger, The Green House, and Hackets have closed down. They just didn’t renew their leases because they weren’t making enough money. Tom and Big M’s owner both said that this would have most likely happened even if Walmart was not in the picture. This again supports my claim that Walmart doesn’t negatively affect these businesses, but forces the poorly managed and unsuccessful businesses out of the market.
Works cited unavailable
Wal-Mart’s Effect on Potsdam First-year Students
Jonathan Brown
Today businesses such as pharmacies, gas stations, music stores, and others are all doing poorly mostly due to a public corporation everyone knows, Wal-Mart. This corporation has affected the small businesses in the town of Potsdam negatively because Wal-Mart set up a location in the small town in spring of 2006 and ever since then small businesses such as Giant Tiger, Chalet Motel, Uncle Max’s Restaurant, and Legends mini-golf and driving range were put out of business to make room for Wal-Mart (Craig Freilich). When you go to Wal-Mart you can find anything, whether you are looking for a television from the electronics section to a couch from the furniture section, Wal-Mart attracts customers, specifically college students with not only their variety but also their low and affordable prices. In the town of Potsdam businesses such as Sleepy Hollow, Northern Music and Video, Strawberry Fields Music, and many more small businesses might not be attracting customers as well as they did before 2006. The new college students of SUNY Potsdam do not realize how different Wal-Mart made this town and how horribly it could affect small businesses because they are attracted mostly to the cheap prices of Wal-Mart. Older students and faculty notice the change because they remember the old businesses that the town of Potsdam used to have before Wal-Mart. How greatly did Wal-Mart manipulate or affect people such as first year students as opposed to students and faculty who have been in Potsdam for three or more years.
You’re probably asking yourself right now, if Wal-Mart is so terrible why does it attract costumers from SUNY Potsdam and other places across the United States easily? There are many answers or reasons to this question, but if you wanted to sum it all up in one answer it would be the cheap and affordable prices. Being a student at SUNY Potsdam means that you have to always think cheap and affordable because of the tuition you have to pay or the amount of money you have to spend on books. But then how are you going to get food and dorm necessities? You say to yourself, well if I am spending a lot of money on tuition and books I might as well get the lowest prices for dormitory necessities, food, drinks, hygiene products, clothes, groceries, and other things. Your first thought of a place where you can get all those things at a large quantity for a cheap and affordable price would obviously be Wal-Mart, if you knew you had one in your town. Wal-Mart’s advanced selection and late opening hours allows it to be one of the most dominating publicly held businesses in the world (Quinn).
One of my research sources included interviewing first year students from SUNY Potsdam. My first question to one of my interviewees was what do you use Wal-Mart for the most? He replied with “I mostly use it for my dorm, food, drinks, furniture such as lamps and chairs, and clothes”(Willis). This suggests that Wal-Mart’s wide-ranging selection is meeting the college student’s needs. Another question I asked to another first year interviewee was how frequently do use Wal-Mart? He replied, “whenever I get a ride” (Neaton). This means that Wal-Mart hasn’t successfully attracted first year students because in order to get to Wal-Mart you need a vehicle or you can choose to take an extremely long walk. I suspect that the students with vehicles most likely rely on Wal-Mart weekly for food, water, school supplies, and dormitory supplies.
Wal-Mart’s appearance seems pretty amazing to the normal eye of a Potsdam student or anyone for that matter who has never read into their criticisms and violations to society and business. These criticisms include security, putting small businesses out of business and workers’ rights that have to do with money issues, women’s rights, and racial discrimination. When you walk into a Wal-Mart the first thing you immediately notice is how big the building is and how wide the range of the selection is. Did you ever think, what used to be there before Wal-Mart showed up? There could have been wildlife living in that spot or businesses that Wal-Mart bought out and tore down. Let’s say that you go to Wal-Mart to get a shirt, when you pick up that shirt and try it on, do you ever stop to think how Wal-Mart manufactured that shirt? Wal-Mart is not only bad within the borders of the United States but also in other countries. For example, the Chinese government loves Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart makes them rich by giving the money for letting them set up factories in the country. In the documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of a Low Price directed by Robert Greenwald, it shows the horrible conditions of a factory owned by Wal-Mart in China that make toys, clothing, and other products for Wal-Mart. The documentary shows workers sleeping at their job because their work hours allow them to only get four hours of sleep. All the work is getting them only eighty cents per hour with hardly any breaks. You can even say it looked like the Great Depression in a sense that it reminded you of the work conditions in the United States during the Great Depression. When you see a commercial on the television about how Wal-Mart cares about family and you should bring the “wonderful” spirit of holidays by getting all your toys at Wal-Mart, they don’t really mean that. They don’t help workers families with good wages and conditions so how could they mean that. Those cheesy commercials are attempts by Wal-Mart to make us think that it is the center of everything and that we need it to survive in today’s economy(Greenwald).
The Walton family (founding family of Wal-Mart) is worth over one hundred and two billion dollars today and they donate two percent of their wealth to charities. Meanwhile Bill Gates has given fifty eight percent. How does one man give over half of his wealth to charities while a family that owns one of the biggest private businesses doesn’t? That’s shows much Wal-Mart cares about family and human rights. “When you pick up a toy from the toy section in Wal-Mart think about the abused and tired worker who made that for eighty cents an hour in China” (“Wal-Mart: High cost of low price”, interviewee from Wal-Mart factory in China). Wal-Mart has been sued many times for employing illegal immigrants, treating women like their unimportant and environmental problems. Environmentalists have proven that Wal-Mart dumps waste products into the rivers of towns, which is violating the Clean Water Act (Quinn).
Did you ever notice when you walk into Wal-Mart that there are security cameras on the inside but not on the outside? That gigantic parking lot is a spot for criminals to take advantage of. People have been abducted, raped, and killed in Wal-Mart parking lots all over the country (Greenwald). This is another reason why Wal-Mart is the most sued private business in the country.
In the movie Wal-Mart: High cost of low price, it showed a H and H hardware store going out of business mostly due to Wal-Mart’s success. This hasn’t only been happening to one town but to towns all over the United States. But Wal-Mart thinks it’s fine because they employ over two hundred and fifty jobs to one Wal-Mart building. Going back to working conditions, Wal-Mart workers are paid so poorly that they can’t afford health insurance, so they choose to use the Wal-Mart plan of health insurance which gives Wal-Mart more money from their workers pay checks. Workers in Wal-Mart are so poor that they have to skip lunches because they cant afford the price.Workers aren’t even asked to work off the required time; they do it anyway because they are afraid to getting fired by Wal-Mart’s store managers (Quinn).
Did you know that Wal-Mart is taking education from towns to by taking money from the towns? The town gives Wal-Mart money to set up a location. For example, the city of Cameron gave Wal-Mart 2.1 million dollars to set up a shop in the city. That money should have gone to the schools in the town to keep them out of debt. Three schools were closed down in that city. Wal-Mart also builds locations that are rarely used. So think about a 26,699,678 square foot building being used barely. It is enough room to build 29,666 classrooms and educate 593,326 kids (Greenwald).
As another way to get a better understanding of what first year and second year students in Potsdam think about Wal-Mart, I handed out a survey to a class of about twenty kids. In this survey I asked them to answer seven questions that had to do with how frequently they use Wal-Mart, if they shop at other Potsdam stores, if they go on the week or weekends, and if they consider Wal-Mart an important part of their lives. There were more second year students in the class than first year students. When I asked do you use the Potsdam Wal-Mart frequently two more people said no than yes. When I asked why, most of them replied saying, “I don’t have a ride” or “I go when I have to”. When I asked if they go during the week or on the weekends six more people said they go on the week. They also were required to tell me what they get at Wal-Mart, so I could see what students are mostly attracted to in Wal-Mart. They said clothes, soda, make up, snacks (food), hygiene products, and groceries. This wasn’t surprising to me at all. But when I asked them do you consider Wal-Mart an important part of your three more people replied no than yes. Most of them answered when I asked them why not, they said, “it’s terrible” or “it’s the only cheap place to get large quantity of things”. Why would they shop at the store if they hate it? “The cheap prices overpower the hate.” My last question to them was do you shop at other stores in the town of Potsdam more than Wal-Mart? The class had two more people with the answers no than yes which told me that Wal-Mart was succeeding in the town of Potsdam by pushing students away from small businesses in the town. People who said yes said that the stores in Potsdam are reasonable walking distances from the campus and people who said no said I need materials for surviving in classes and everyday life so I’m forced to go to Wal-Mart. When I received more surveys from another class I got almost the same results as the last class. Students who shop at Wal-Mart frequently are mostly the second year students because they have a vehicle to get there. But mostly everyone in second year they didn’t like the idea of Wal-Mart and how it effects things negatively but they are still forced to go to save money. When I got another stack of papers from another class the results were almost identical to the first stack of surveys I got. The results were that people went to Wal-mart frequently in Potsdam but they didn’t like the idea of it. They just used it for its cheap prices.
In conclusion, SUNY Potsdam students use Wal-Mart but they don’t like how it is. Most people pay attention to the prices but they know what Wal-Mart has been accused of doing. It’s safe to say that Wal-Mart will never go out of business. The CEO of Wal-Mart (Lee Scott) gives himself all the credit for making Wal-Mart “wonderful and family oriented” but I see no happiness when I think of Wal-Mart (Greenwald). I just think of students being manipulated into going there for its cheap prices and the many laws it has broken. In my personal experience I have only been to Wal-Mart twice in my life (both times in Potsdam) and I think I am just going to stick to the stores in town. To know that you’re helping a business that has done so many wrongs by spending your time and money makes it only stronger. Hopefully students of SUNY Potsdam will understand that in the near future.
Works Cited
Quinn, Bill. How Wal-Mart Is Destroying America (and the World) and What You Can
Do about It. Berkeley: Calif., January 2000. Print
Greenwald, Robert. Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price USA, November 2005 (Documentary)
Neaton, John. Personal Interview. 26 November 2009
Willis, Jack. Personal Interview. 23 November 2009
Robinson, Larry. “Potsdam Walmart’s Leach Field Has Failed” 30 November 2009.
Today businesses such as pharmacies, gas stations, music stores, and others are all doing poorly mostly due to a public corporation everyone knows, Wal-Mart. This corporation has affected the small businesses in the town of Potsdam negatively because Wal-Mart set up a location in the small town in spring of 2006 and ever since then small businesses such as Giant Tiger, Chalet Motel, Uncle Max’s Restaurant, and Legends mini-golf and driving range were put out of business to make room for Wal-Mart (Craig Freilich). When you go to Wal-Mart you can find anything, whether you are looking for a television from the electronics section to a couch from the furniture section, Wal-Mart attracts customers, specifically college students with not only their variety but also their low and affordable prices. In the town of Potsdam businesses such as Sleepy Hollow, Northern Music and Video, Strawberry Fields Music, and many more small businesses might not be attracting customers as well as they did before 2006. The new college students of SUNY Potsdam do not realize how different Wal-Mart made this town and how horribly it could affect small businesses because they are attracted mostly to the cheap prices of Wal-Mart. Older students and faculty notice the change because they remember the old businesses that the town of Potsdam used to have before Wal-Mart. How greatly did Wal-Mart manipulate or affect people such as first year students as opposed to students and faculty who have been in Potsdam for three or more years.
You’re probably asking yourself right now, if Wal-Mart is so terrible why does it attract costumers from SUNY Potsdam and other places across the United States easily? There are many answers or reasons to this question, but if you wanted to sum it all up in one answer it would be the cheap and affordable prices. Being a student at SUNY Potsdam means that you have to always think cheap and affordable because of the tuition you have to pay or the amount of money you have to spend on books. But then how are you going to get food and dorm necessities? You say to yourself, well if I am spending a lot of money on tuition and books I might as well get the lowest prices for dormitory necessities, food, drinks, hygiene products, clothes, groceries, and other things. Your first thought of a place where you can get all those things at a large quantity for a cheap and affordable price would obviously be Wal-Mart, if you knew you had one in your town. Wal-Mart’s advanced selection and late opening hours allows it to be one of the most dominating publicly held businesses in the world (Quinn).
One of my research sources included interviewing first year students from SUNY Potsdam. My first question to one of my interviewees was what do you use Wal-Mart for the most? He replied with “I mostly use it for my dorm, food, drinks, furniture such as lamps and chairs, and clothes”(Willis). This suggests that Wal-Mart’s wide-ranging selection is meeting the college student’s needs. Another question I asked to another first year interviewee was how frequently do use Wal-Mart? He replied, “whenever I get a ride” (Neaton). This means that Wal-Mart hasn’t successfully attracted first year students because in order to get to Wal-Mart you need a vehicle or you can choose to take an extremely long walk. I suspect that the students with vehicles most likely rely on Wal-Mart weekly for food, water, school supplies, and dormitory supplies.
Wal-Mart’s appearance seems pretty amazing to the normal eye of a Potsdam student or anyone for that matter who has never read into their criticisms and violations to society and business. These criticisms include security, putting small businesses out of business and workers’ rights that have to do with money issues, women’s rights, and racial discrimination. When you walk into a Wal-Mart the first thing you immediately notice is how big the building is and how wide the range of the selection is. Did you ever think, what used to be there before Wal-Mart showed up? There could have been wildlife living in that spot or businesses that Wal-Mart bought out and tore down. Let’s say that you go to Wal-Mart to get a shirt, when you pick up that shirt and try it on, do you ever stop to think how Wal-Mart manufactured that shirt? Wal-Mart is not only bad within the borders of the United States but also in other countries. For example, the Chinese government loves Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart makes them rich by giving the money for letting them set up factories in the country. In the documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of a Low Price directed by Robert Greenwald, it shows the horrible conditions of a factory owned by Wal-Mart in China that make toys, clothing, and other products for Wal-Mart. The documentary shows workers sleeping at their job because their work hours allow them to only get four hours of sleep. All the work is getting them only eighty cents per hour with hardly any breaks. You can even say it looked like the Great Depression in a sense that it reminded you of the work conditions in the United States during the Great Depression. When you see a commercial on the television about how Wal-Mart cares about family and you should bring the “wonderful” spirit of holidays by getting all your toys at Wal-Mart, they don’t really mean that. They don’t help workers families with good wages and conditions so how could they mean that. Those cheesy commercials are attempts by Wal-Mart to make us think that it is the center of everything and that we need it to survive in today’s economy(Greenwald).
The Walton family (founding family of Wal-Mart) is worth over one hundred and two billion dollars today and they donate two percent of their wealth to charities. Meanwhile Bill Gates has given fifty eight percent. How does one man give over half of his wealth to charities while a family that owns one of the biggest private businesses doesn’t? That’s shows much Wal-Mart cares about family and human rights. “When you pick up a toy from the toy section in Wal-Mart think about the abused and tired worker who made that for eighty cents an hour in China” (“Wal-Mart: High cost of low price”, interviewee from Wal-Mart factory in China). Wal-Mart has been sued many times for employing illegal immigrants, treating women like their unimportant and environmental problems. Environmentalists have proven that Wal-Mart dumps waste products into the rivers of towns, which is violating the Clean Water Act (Quinn).
Did you ever notice when you walk into Wal-Mart that there are security cameras on the inside but not on the outside? That gigantic parking lot is a spot for criminals to take advantage of. People have been abducted, raped, and killed in Wal-Mart parking lots all over the country (Greenwald). This is another reason why Wal-Mart is the most sued private business in the country.
In the movie Wal-Mart: High cost of low price, it showed a H and H hardware store going out of business mostly due to Wal-Mart’s success. This hasn’t only been happening to one town but to towns all over the United States. But Wal-Mart thinks it’s fine because they employ over two hundred and fifty jobs to one Wal-Mart building. Going back to working conditions, Wal-Mart workers are paid so poorly that they can’t afford health insurance, so they choose to use the Wal-Mart plan of health insurance which gives Wal-Mart more money from their workers pay checks. Workers in Wal-Mart are so poor that they have to skip lunches because they cant afford the price.Workers aren’t even asked to work off the required time; they do it anyway because they are afraid to getting fired by Wal-Mart’s store managers (Quinn).
Did you know that Wal-Mart is taking education from towns to by taking money from the towns? The town gives Wal-Mart money to set up a location. For example, the city of Cameron gave Wal-Mart 2.1 million dollars to set up a shop in the city. That money should have gone to the schools in the town to keep them out of debt. Three schools were closed down in that city. Wal-Mart also builds locations that are rarely used. So think about a 26,699,678 square foot building being used barely. It is enough room to build 29,666 classrooms and educate 593,326 kids (Greenwald).
As another way to get a better understanding of what first year and second year students in Potsdam think about Wal-Mart, I handed out a survey to a class of about twenty kids. In this survey I asked them to answer seven questions that had to do with how frequently they use Wal-Mart, if they shop at other Potsdam stores, if they go on the week or weekends, and if they consider Wal-Mart an important part of their lives. There were more second year students in the class than first year students. When I asked do you use the Potsdam Wal-Mart frequently two more people said no than yes. When I asked why, most of them replied saying, “I don’t have a ride” or “I go when I have to”. When I asked if they go during the week or on the weekends six more people said they go on the week. They also were required to tell me what they get at Wal-Mart, so I could see what students are mostly attracted to in Wal-Mart. They said clothes, soda, make up, snacks (food), hygiene products, and groceries. This wasn’t surprising to me at all. But when I asked them do you consider Wal-Mart an important part of your three more people replied no than yes. Most of them answered when I asked them why not, they said, “it’s terrible” or “it’s the only cheap place to get large quantity of things”. Why would they shop at the store if they hate it? “The cheap prices overpower the hate.” My last question to them was do you shop at other stores in the town of Potsdam more than Wal-Mart? The class had two more people with the answers no than yes which told me that Wal-Mart was succeeding in the town of Potsdam by pushing students away from small businesses in the town. People who said yes said that the stores in Potsdam are reasonable walking distances from the campus and people who said no said I need materials for surviving in classes and everyday life so I’m forced to go to Wal-Mart. When I received more surveys from another class I got almost the same results as the last class. Students who shop at Wal-Mart frequently are mostly the second year students because they have a vehicle to get there. But mostly everyone in second year they didn’t like the idea of Wal-Mart and how it effects things negatively but they are still forced to go to save money. When I got another stack of papers from another class the results were almost identical to the first stack of surveys I got. The results were that people went to Wal-mart frequently in Potsdam but they didn’t like the idea of it. They just used it for its cheap prices.
In conclusion, SUNY Potsdam students use Wal-Mart but they don’t like how it is. Most people pay attention to the prices but they know what Wal-Mart has been accused of doing. It’s safe to say that Wal-Mart will never go out of business. The CEO of Wal-Mart (Lee Scott) gives himself all the credit for making Wal-Mart “wonderful and family oriented” but I see no happiness when I think of Wal-Mart (Greenwald). I just think of students being manipulated into going there for its cheap prices and the many laws it has broken. In my personal experience I have only been to Wal-Mart twice in my life (both times in Potsdam) and I think I am just going to stick to the stores in town. To know that you’re helping a business that has done so many wrongs by spending your time and money makes it only stronger. Hopefully students of SUNY Potsdam will understand that in the near future.
Works Cited
Quinn, Bill. How Wal-Mart Is Destroying America (and the World) and What You Can
Do about It. Berkeley: Calif., January 2000. Print
Greenwald, Robert. Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price USA, November 2005 (Documentary)
Neaton, John. Personal Interview. 26 November 2009
Willis, Jack. Personal Interview. 23 November 2009
Robinson, Larry. “Potsdam Walmart’s Leach Field Has Failed” 30 November 2009.
COMING AND GOING: NEW STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES
The next four essays focus on the challenges and experiences of new students at SUNY Potsdam. They are relevant to all students, as they cover a broad range of experiences that all students have encountered. Topics include culture shock, embracing diversity, the psychology of dealing with a busy college schedule, the importance of solitude, career planning, and the differences between locals and incoming students.
Colin: College, although described as the next stop of education has very different aspects than high school. We have all grown comfortable with our hometown, school, room, and friend. College is a new start. At first you feel completely out of your element, this is what makes college such an experience. For me, the solitude of my hometown is something I missed until I challenged myself to explore Potsdam
Nasif: As a student who goes to college, I felt the need to find out what I should study to help my career. That is where the importance of career advisement and career fairs come in. If you would like to be successful in your career you should read this essay.
Molly: During my first experience of college life, I saw a stark contrast between my actions and the action of the students surrounding me. At first I attributed this to my shyness, however after further exploration, I found it was much more.
Maggie: Embracing the diversity of new peers around me was that my transition of high school to college was all about. Being able to speak your mind and do things that you want to do is a freedom that many college students embrace. Being able to accept it and respect others is an important quality in life. It is something that you don’t face in a high school where everyone pretty much dresses, speaks, and acts in the same way.
Colin: College, although described as the next stop of education has very different aspects than high school. We have all grown comfortable with our hometown, school, room, and friend. College is a new start. At first you feel completely out of your element, this is what makes college such an experience. For me, the solitude of my hometown is something I missed until I challenged myself to explore Potsdam
Nasif: As a student who goes to college, I felt the need to find out what I should study to help my career. That is where the importance of career advisement and career fairs come in. If you would like to be successful in your career you should read this essay.
Molly: During my first experience of college life, I saw a stark contrast between my actions and the action of the students surrounding me. At first I attributed this to my shyness, however after further exploration, I found it was much more.
Maggie: Embracing the diversity of new peers around me was that my transition of high school to college was all about. Being able to speak your mind and do things that you want to do is a freedom that many college students embrace. Being able to accept it and respect others is an important quality in life. It is something that you don’t face in a high school where everyone pretty much dresses, speaks, and acts in the same way.
Potsdam Solitude
Colin MacIver
Growing up in the Adirondack Park, I have come to admire solitude. The small town atmosphere and scenic views has grown on me throughout the years, and now wherever I go solitude has become a necessity in organizing and understanding my life. Isolation has had great effects on me while I mature and slowly figure myself out. Although studies do not have conclusive evidence, I definitely have benefited from a simple five minute timeout on a bench.
Westport, NY-my hometown- has some of the most peaceful eateries, roads, views, and places to just relax in the ADK. I believe this is true of most small towns and even cities. Located on Lake Champlain filled with mountains and rivers, Westport is a magnificent place. I always hated living in a town rather than a city until I decided question myself. I found that cities with all the commotion can distract and cause you to get away from who you truly are. Now being a student of SUNY Potsdam, I feel I must search for places of solitude here, since college tends to attract stress with exams and papers sometimes even falling on the same week. It is nice to take some time away and step back from the disorder of the week.
My experiences have led me to understand life. Many times everything going on throughout the day has distracted me from focusing on the truly important things. For example, television is a constant distraction I realized this and knew I needed a new form of relaxation which would allow me reflect on my week. This led me to try many new things like learning an instrument and eventually relaxing in a secluded area. Potsdam has many secluded areas; however, people rarely take the time out of their lives to view them. My personality drove me to find new experiences, and solitude was one that grew on me subconsciously and developed into something I now value.
The routine that we all develop from our adolescence is to go to school for hours and then relax for hours. When I was 9 or so, my favorite show was Boy Meets World. I would sit down and watch as long as my mother would let me, wasting time getting caught up with whatever Corey and Topanga were doing. Until recently, I really only used T.V. as my main outlet for relaxation. I couldn’t take watching television as a daily routine. I felt as if I was wasting time. Now going out for a walk or listing to music has made me much more relaxed and helped organize my life. Yes, it is nice to watch a show or two, but usually that turns into five shows and you’re not really relaxing, but are distracted by the television screen. Walk around campus, walk around Potsdam. It has so much to offer that Television never will be able to reach. Speaking to people around the town and school of Potsdam has led me to believe that the happier people are the ones who leave their room or house. Not just for classes and work, but to go out and join clubs or go to a movie.
Humans are not meant to be confined anywhere. Many students that stay in their rooms might eventually become less and less adventurous and want to be in a place they already know, home. They will leave Potsdam for home once every two weeks, then once every week; and then develop a habit of hating the campus not because they had a bad experience with it, but because they don’t know anything about it. Sometimes you feel like you have all the time in the world to experience something, but before you realize it your life is complete with little room for enjoy a simple break. One of the most frequently said statements by upperclassmen I spoke with is that they didn’t go out into Potsdam enough. Maybe you will find that place to go on Friday afternoon that relaxes you after you took a test and before the weekend kicks off. We are college students and to let this experience go by to only focus on being studious would be a missed opportunity you will never get back.
Taking that simple break has changed the way I live my life. Before, my stress level would slowly build up; now, I live much more easily and clearly. When a problem occurs, I now handle it better than I ever have. In high school, I had many places that helped me along my way. From a park bench in New York City to my car on the way home from school, taking that small break was almost always the answer to my problem.
In the beginning of my senior year I decided to take that break. When I lost my last soccer game as a high school student I was driving by an old school on the way back to my house. I decided to pull over get out and relax on one of the benches in the back. There I thought for a while, since it felt like time flashed so fast from freshman year to senior year I couldn’t let that happen again. The bench outside the school house which looked like it was from the 1800s, was quiet and secluded. I thought about a lot there and enjoyed it so much it became a remedy every time I became stressed out, or just wanted to relax. Later in the year-when the end of high school became really clear-I found many more places where I would leave school and eat lunch or just relax with a couple of friends. Solitude can certainly be experienced with other people. Before I decided to take the break I went would subconsciously have solitude every day.
Before I actually thought about it, my car rides home were as normal as everyone else’s. After school and before basketball practice the ride became the time I had alone until I got home. This is where I would reach solitude, on my 5 minute car ride home alone. Some days I would even pull into my driveway and just sit there for a couple of minutes until I was ready to get out. I always questioned myself for doing it. The car was off, there was no music, but I still subconsciously did it on occasion if I was not ready to leave the solitude of the car. People fear being alone and many times that is what is really in the way of reaching solitude. Getting over the fear turns the negative into something very beneficial.
In Solitude: An Exploration of Being Alone, Long and Averill explain that our society has named solitude as loneliness and has turned it into a negative state. Their research included a key word search in a Psycho Info database of loneliness and solitude; the results were 1,790 hits for loneliness and 177 for solitude (Averill and Long, para. 9). This shows us that a large majority of people look at solitude as something to be feared. This affected my impression until I decided to create my own opinion of taking time out to be alone. Now I use solitude whenever I am over stimulated with college life or just people in general. Even when visiting my own family I take time off because it can become chaotic at times.
Almost all of my family lives in West Brighten, Staten Island in NYC. I always have a great time when I visit, but still the weeklong vacation can sometimes get irritating and busy. I decided to check out a park I had always seen near my aunt’s house but never had enough ambition to go into. The park had a great place that overlooks NYC’s Manhattan. Although it reminds me of a tragic time, it’s still a pretty amazing view that once had the twin towers but now has the statue of liberty and empire state building. You can observe the commotion of NYC while sitting on a park bench. The bench has always been empty whenever I’m there which makes me believe that people don’t take the time out if the week for some solitude. Another Study in Solitude: An Exploration of Being Alone showed in a 1996 poll showed that 31% of residents in the U.S. wanted more time to themselves where only 6% wanted less (Averill and Long, para. 10). Maybe this bench had a bad story that only the locals knew about, but my guess would be that in a chaotic life even though people want more time alone they rarely take it. Even when given the opportunity to be in a beautiful place such as the park bench in NYC everyday people still don’t seek solitude.
These are my places of relaxation, and find places here will take some courage to go out and explore Potsdam, the same goes for you. At first it was hard to leave my comfortable routine and attempt to find places, but once you find them and break away from the routine you start to appreciate your surroundings and life a lot more. Go outside and walk around. Sometimes having no plan can lead you somewhere. Or, go see a show at Crane. Solitude can most definitely be experienced among others. Whatever the case, find the places to relax and you will become a much more multifaceted person.
In The Power of Place by Winfred Gallaghar, chapter 9 entitled environmental addictions, explains how a study in the 1960s by Roger Barker call “psychological ecology” showed us the impact of our surroundings have more of an influence on us then our personalities. With that in mind, if you’re surrounding is constantly your dorm room and a class rooms you’re never able to breathe the fresh air and walk around. When we are in these environments we all try to fall into the status quo. Meaning, we are not being individuals but trying to be students or teachers. Until we leave the areas we are never reconnected with our individualism, but remain just another student. (Gallagher Chap. 9)
Another article in Oprah’s magazine written by Tim Jarvis also talks about the importance of our surrounding. He includes research has show that the organization of our homes can actually can “influence certain brain processes such as those involved with stress, emotion, and memory” which is a quote in his article by Eve Edelstein, Ph.D.. Our environment influences us more then we all think. Being in a certain environment has a major impacts on all of us. (Jarvis, para. 3)
Every area has its highlight(s) and Potsdam’s is music. If you enjoy Symphonies, Crane offers many concerts. If you enjoy rock, there are places all over Potsdam that have signs for open-mic- nights where musicians play every week. It seems that Potsdam is a town and school that love music. So take advantage of this. I went out to experience as much as I could; and Potsdam ended up surprising me a lot.
This town-although has around 3,600 undergraduate students in Potsdam and another about 3,500 in Clarkson, it is a very welcoming town. (Before I became a student I assumed there was an ongoing feud between the students and residents because of loud parties or getting cops involved things like that). I was able to walk in the clock tower, through a church; any question I had that people could answer was answered, just because I was a Potsdam student and was doing research for a college paper. I wanted an overall view of Potsdam so I went everywhere. In Ives Park I was getting greeted every time with a friendly hello, in the coffee shop a stranger initiated a conversation with me about my Psychology class, and every day the workers in union are extremely friendly. A guest professor in Crane Live! Who has lived all over the world referred to Potsdam as a nest. Where anyone can come and join the area if they want to, but when you are here you are now part of a community. This seems to be very true when walking around Potsdam. This place has developed a welcoming atmosphere.
Overlooking the Raquette River, Ives Park is the perfect quiet place to go for lunch, a place to chill, or just a walk. Five minutes away from campus, Ives Park is the closest and most as relaxing place I have been in Potsdam. Surprisingly, the park had some traffic on the Tuesday afternoon I went. Nearly half of the benches were filled, the gazebo had a book reader, and the trail had many dogs and power walkers. However, I still found a place tucked away in the back. I have always been impressed with the sky line in Potsdam. Today was just a picture perfect as always. With picnic tables this is a great place to come with some friends, food and beverages. I definitely recommend at least checking it out once.
Being a student in Potsdam it is not practical to go outside for a walk every day the weather simply doesn’t cooperate for a majority of the year. These were the indoor places that seemed to be able to create the most solitude.
I must say if you want a different experience, visit the Labyrinth in Van Husen. I walked in not knowing what to expect being new to the idea of a Labyrinth. The door was left unlocked inviting any adventurous person in. I walked in and took off my shoes-a rule of the labyrinth room- and absorbed the experience. Labyrinths are mazes which you walk through and eventually reach the middle where you can sit if you like, or just walk back out of the Labyrinth. This particular Labyrinth is painted on the floor. I weaved in and out of the Labyrinth which was strange.
Honestly, I could have just walked across the floor and ignored the lines and sat in the middle, but walking through it all was relaxing in a bizarre way. On the way out I had a thought, that you could never walk faster out then you did in. It’s completely true. The labyrinth slows you down. On the home page of lesionsforliving.com it states “The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world” (No author. Para. 2). A little corny, but the feeling I had something similar to that. On the way in you anticipate reaching middle as a relaxation point; you just have to walk thru it all. But on the way out you have already reached the goal of relaxation, now you just retract your steps until you exit the same place you entered. It is something that I recommend trying out at least once. For me sitting in the middle of the Labyrinth helped me with this paper. I sat down and thought about how solitude has benefited me in my life. Many of my forgotten times of the NYC bench or when after I lost my last soccer game came back to me. It was peaceful in the Labyrinth, but it’s not the only place of solitude.
The coffee shop on Main Street had a great feel. To me local coffee shops-like the one in Potsdam- have always been a place to hang out. When I would visit my father on the weekend occasionally he would give my brother and I some money and tell us to go get some hot chocolate and cookies. We would walk down the train tracks to a small coffee shop eat and drink our cookies and hot chocolate and talk about whatever came to our minds. I walked in having an open mind for whatever they had. They had a lot. After a while I went with the waitress’s favorite, a double shot of espresso, with chocolate. As I waited I took the time to look around the shop. With Jimi Hendrix playing softly in the background, the aroma of fresh coffee, friendly customers, and staff, I enjoyed the coffee shop enough to stay for much longer then I planned.
Another article Is loneliness a psychological dysfunction? which explains the main factor in the way of benefiting from solitude is that people have always learned that solitude and being alone is something bad. They explain that loneliness is not a psychological dysfunction but is based on the perception of how you define loneliness. (Nilsson and Dagfinn, para.) So, I ask how do you define loneliness? Is it something to be feared or embraced?
In an Article Katie Goodman wrote in the Oprah magazine she explained how her e-mail, something that was supposed to make her life less complicated, actually turned into the main factor in making her stressed out. Her solution was a 30 day detox from e-mail. For me e-mailing isn’t a big issue, but to Goodman it causes a great deal of stress (Goodman). Everybody is different and when trying to be relaxed and in solitude you have to do what feels right for yourself.
When I was a sophomore in high school I helped do a leadership/college seminar for Paul Smiths College. Regardless, there main philosophy of the day was the statement “it’s all about the experience”. It was all over the campus and written on out shirts. As I kept the shirt throughout the years it became kind of a joke to me, and now still is, but in a way it’s true. College is all about the experience, definitely not just about grades. They throw you in a room with stranger(s) and give you a lot of free time to either do work or whatever you want. College makes you find yourself. That said, if you just go to class and sleep maybe watch a little television what experience are you getting? College is the time to experience as many things as you possibly can, solitude being one.
There is no doubting that solitude has changed my life. Throughout all my experiences my main goal was to find myself. Television inspired me become unique. I was tired of having my life consist of being a regiment of school T.V. and sports. I knew there were better ways out there to enjoy life, so I searched and found that Solitude can inspire your deepest passions that are now concealed but have the potential to do brilliant things. Now I’m telling you, do not live a rhythm-less voyage. Become your own person. Although it is easy to settle into your own routine, you will never fully develop as a college student. Yes, we are all classified under a certain major which does de-individualize us; however, we all still have the opportunity to make our own brand of life whatever it may be. So I ask you to challenge yourself in going out and experiencing the life of college. Solitude will open new door and close the old, and in college that is one of the most important factors.
Bibliography
Gallagher, Winfred “The Power of Place.” 1993. Chapter 14-15. 20 Nov. 2009.
Goodman , Katie. "Her 30-day e-mail detox." Oprah Magizine (2009): 1. Web. 3 Dec 2009.
.
Jarvis, Tim. "Mood, memory affected by your home.." Oprah Magazine (2008): 1. Web. 3 Dec 2009..
Unknown "The Laybrinth." lessions4living.com. Web. 3 Dec 2009..
Long, C.R., and J.R. Averill "Solitude: An Exploration of Benefits of Being Alone." Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour 33.1 (2003): 21-44. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
Nilsson, Brita, Unni Å. Lindström, and Dagfinn Nåden "Is loneliness a psychological dysfunction? A literary study of the phenomenon of loneliness." Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 20.1 (2006): 93-101. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
Schober, Martin. Interview with Martin Schober. Face to Face. 1 Dec. 2009.
Bennett, Greg. Interview with Greg Bennett. Face to Face. 1 Dec. 2009.
Growing up in the Adirondack Park, I have come to admire solitude. The small town atmosphere and scenic views has grown on me throughout the years, and now wherever I go solitude has become a necessity in organizing and understanding my life. Isolation has had great effects on me while I mature and slowly figure myself out. Although studies do not have conclusive evidence, I definitely have benefited from a simple five minute timeout on a bench.
Westport, NY-my hometown- has some of the most peaceful eateries, roads, views, and places to just relax in the ADK. I believe this is true of most small towns and even cities. Located on Lake Champlain filled with mountains and rivers, Westport is a magnificent place. I always hated living in a town rather than a city until I decided question myself. I found that cities with all the commotion can distract and cause you to get away from who you truly are. Now being a student of SUNY Potsdam, I feel I must search for places of solitude here, since college tends to attract stress with exams and papers sometimes even falling on the same week. It is nice to take some time away and step back from the disorder of the week.
My experiences have led me to understand life. Many times everything going on throughout the day has distracted me from focusing on the truly important things. For example, television is a constant distraction I realized this and knew I needed a new form of relaxation which would allow me reflect on my week. This led me to try many new things like learning an instrument and eventually relaxing in a secluded area. Potsdam has many secluded areas; however, people rarely take the time out of their lives to view them. My personality drove me to find new experiences, and solitude was one that grew on me subconsciously and developed into something I now value.
The routine that we all develop from our adolescence is to go to school for hours and then relax for hours. When I was 9 or so, my favorite show was Boy Meets World. I would sit down and watch as long as my mother would let me, wasting time getting caught up with whatever Corey and Topanga were doing. Until recently, I really only used T.V. as my main outlet for relaxation. I couldn’t take watching television as a daily routine. I felt as if I was wasting time. Now going out for a walk or listing to music has made me much more relaxed and helped organize my life. Yes, it is nice to watch a show or two, but usually that turns into five shows and you’re not really relaxing, but are distracted by the television screen. Walk around campus, walk around Potsdam. It has so much to offer that Television never will be able to reach. Speaking to people around the town and school of Potsdam has led me to believe that the happier people are the ones who leave their room or house. Not just for classes and work, but to go out and join clubs or go to a movie.
Humans are not meant to be confined anywhere. Many students that stay in their rooms might eventually become less and less adventurous and want to be in a place they already know, home. They will leave Potsdam for home once every two weeks, then once every week; and then develop a habit of hating the campus not because they had a bad experience with it, but because they don’t know anything about it. Sometimes you feel like you have all the time in the world to experience something, but before you realize it your life is complete with little room for enjoy a simple break. One of the most frequently said statements by upperclassmen I spoke with is that they didn’t go out into Potsdam enough. Maybe you will find that place to go on Friday afternoon that relaxes you after you took a test and before the weekend kicks off. We are college students and to let this experience go by to only focus on being studious would be a missed opportunity you will never get back.
Taking that simple break has changed the way I live my life. Before, my stress level would slowly build up; now, I live much more easily and clearly. When a problem occurs, I now handle it better than I ever have. In high school, I had many places that helped me along my way. From a park bench in New York City to my car on the way home from school, taking that small break was almost always the answer to my problem.
In the beginning of my senior year I decided to take that break. When I lost my last soccer game as a high school student I was driving by an old school on the way back to my house. I decided to pull over get out and relax on one of the benches in the back. There I thought for a while, since it felt like time flashed so fast from freshman year to senior year I couldn’t let that happen again. The bench outside the school house which looked like it was from the 1800s, was quiet and secluded. I thought about a lot there and enjoyed it so much it became a remedy every time I became stressed out, or just wanted to relax. Later in the year-when the end of high school became really clear-I found many more places where I would leave school and eat lunch or just relax with a couple of friends. Solitude can certainly be experienced with other people. Before I decided to take the break I went would subconsciously have solitude every day.
Before I actually thought about it, my car rides home were as normal as everyone else’s. After school and before basketball practice the ride became the time I had alone until I got home. This is where I would reach solitude, on my 5 minute car ride home alone. Some days I would even pull into my driveway and just sit there for a couple of minutes until I was ready to get out. I always questioned myself for doing it. The car was off, there was no music, but I still subconsciously did it on occasion if I was not ready to leave the solitude of the car. People fear being alone and many times that is what is really in the way of reaching solitude. Getting over the fear turns the negative into something very beneficial.
In Solitude: An Exploration of Being Alone, Long and Averill explain that our society has named solitude as loneliness and has turned it into a negative state. Their research included a key word search in a Psycho Info database of loneliness and solitude; the results were 1,790 hits for loneliness and 177 for solitude (Averill and Long, para. 9). This shows us that a large majority of people look at solitude as something to be feared. This affected my impression until I decided to create my own opinion of taking time out to be alone. Now I use solitude whenever I am over stimulated with college life or just people in general. Even when visiting my own family I take time off because it can become chaotic at times.
Almost all of my family lives in West Brighten, Staten Island in NYC. I always have a great time when I visit, but still the weeklong vacation can sometimes get irritating and busy. I decided to check out a park I had always seen near my aunt’s house but never had enough ambition to go into. The park had a great place that overlooks NYC’s Manhattan. Although it reminds me of a tragic time, it’s still a pretty amazing view that once had the twin towers but now has the statue of liberty and empire state building. You can observe the commotion of NYC while sitting on a park bench. The bench has always been empty whenever I’m there which makes me believe that people don’t take the time out if the week for some solitude. Another Study in Solitude: An Exploration of Being Alone showed in a 1996 poll showed that 31% of residents in the U.S. wanted more time to themselves where only 6% wanted less (Averill and Long, para. 10). Maybe this bench had a bad story that only the locals knew about, but my guess would be that in a chaotic life even though people want more time alone they rarely take it. Even when given the opportunity to be in a beautiful place such as the park bench in NYC everyday people still don’t seek solitude.
These are my places of relaxation, and find places here will take some courage to go out and explore Potsdam, the same goes for you. At first it was hard to leave my comfortable routine and attempt to find places, but once you find them and break away from the routine you start to appreciate your surroundings and life a lot more. Go outside and walk around. Sometimes having no plan can lead you somewhere. Or, go see a show at Crane. Solitude can most definitely be experienced among others. Whatever the case, find the places to relax and you will become a much more multifaceted person.
In The Power of Place by Winfred Gallaghar, chapter 9 entitled environmental addictions, explains how a study in the 1960s by Roger Barker call “psychological ecology” showed us the impact of our surroundings have more of an influence on us then our personalities. With that in mind, if you’re surrounding is constantly your dorm room and a class rooms you’re never able to breathe the fresh air and walk around. When we are in these environments we all try to fall into the status quo. Meaning, we are not being individuals but trying to be students or teachers. Until we leave the areas we are never reconnected with our individualism, but remain just another student. (Gallagher Chap. 9)
Another article in Oprah’s magazine written by Tim Jarvis also talks about the importance of our surrounding. He includes research has show that the organization of our homes can actually can “influence certain brain processes such as those involved with stress, emotion, and memory” which is a quote in his article by Eve Edelstein, Ph.D.. Our environment influences us more then we all think. Being in a certain environment has a major impacts on all of us. (Jarvis, para. 3)
Every area has its highlight(s) and Potsdam’s is music. If you enjoy Symphonies, Crane offers many concerts. If you enjoy rock, there are places all over Potsdam that have signs for open-mic- nights where musicians play every week. It seems that Potsdam is a town and school that love music. So take advantage of this. I went out to experience as much as I could; and Potsdam ended up surprising me a lot.
This town-although has around 3,600 undergraduate students in Potsdam and another about 3,500 in Clarkson, it is a very welcoming town. (Before I became a student I assumed there was an ongoing feud between the students and residents because of loud parties or getting cops involved things like that). I was able to walk in the clock tower, through a church; any question I had that people could answer was answered, just because I was a Potsdam student and was doing research for a college paper. I wanted an overall view of Potsdam so I went everywhere. In Ives Park I was getting greeted every time with a friendly hello, in the coffee shop a stranger initiated a conversation with me about my Psychology class, and every day the workers in union are extremely friendly. A guest professor in Crane Live! Who has lived all over the world referred to Potsdam as a nest. Where anyone can come and join the area if they want to, but when you are here you are now part of a community. This seems to be very true when walking around Potsdam. This place has developed a welcoming atmosphere.
Overlooking the Raquette River, Ives Park is the perfect quiet place to go for lunch, a place to chill, or just a walk. Five minutes away from campus, Ives Park is the closest and most as relaxing place I have been in Potsdam. Surprisingly, the park had some traffic on the Tuesday afternoon I went. Nearly half of the benches were filled, the gazebo had a book reader, and the trail had many dogs and power walkers. However, I still found a place tucked away in the back. I have always been impressed with the sky line in Potsdam. Today was just a picture perfect as always. With picnic tables this is a great place to come with some friends, food and beverages. I definitely recommend at least checking it out once.
Being a student in Potsdam it is not practical to go outside for a walk every day the weather simply doesn’t cooperate for a majority of the year. These were the indoor places that seemed to be able to create the most solitude.
I must say if you want a different experience, visit the Labyrinth in Van Husen. I walked in not knowing what to expect being new to the idea of a Labyrinth. The door was left unlocked inviting any adventurous person in. I walked in and took off my shoes-a rule of the labyrinth room- and absorbed the experience. Labyrinths are mazes which you walk through and eventually reach the middle where you can sit if you like, or just walk back out of the Labyrinth. This particular Labyrinth is painted on the floor. I weaved in and out of the Labyrinth which was strange.
Honestly, I could have just walked across the floor and ignored the lines and sat in the middle, but walking through it all was relaxing in a bizarre way. On the way out I had a thought, that you could never walk faster out then you did in. It’s completely true. The labyrinth slows you down. On the home page of lesionsforliving.com it states “The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world” (No author. Para. 2). A little corny, but the feeling I had something similar to that. On the way in you anticipate reaching middle as a relaxation point; you just have to walk thru it all. But on the way out you have already reached the goal of relaxation, now you just retract your steps until you exit the same place you entered. It is something that I recommend trying out at least once. For me sitting in the middle of the Labyrinth helped me with this paper. I sat down and thought about how solitude has benefited me in my life. Many of my forgotten times of the NYC bench or when after I lost my last soccer game came back to me. It was peaceful in the Labyrinth, but it’s not the only place of solitude.
The coffee shop on Main Street had a great feel. To me local coffee shops-like the one in Potsdam- have always been a place to hang out. When I would visit my father on the weekend occasionally he would give my brother and I some money and tell us to go get some hot chocolate and cookies. We would walk down the train tracks to a small coffee shop eat and drink our cookies and hot chocolate and talk about whatever came to our minds. I walked in having an open mind for whatever they had. They had a lot. After a while I went with the waitress’s favorite, a double shot of espresso, with chocolate. As I waited I took the time to look around the shop. With Jimi Hendrix playing softly in the background, the aroma of fresh coffee, friendly customers, and staff, I enjoyed the coffee shop enough to stay for much longer then I planned.
Another article Is loneliness a psychological dysfunction? which explains the main factor in the way of benefiting from solitude is that people have always learned that solitude and being alone is something bad. They explain that loneliness is not a psychological dysfunction but is based on the perception of how you define loneliness. (Nilsson and Dagfinn, para.) So, I ask how do you define loneliness? Is it something to be feared or embraced?
In an Article Katie Goodman wrote in the Oprah magazine she explained how her e-mail, something that was supposed to make her life less complicated, actually turned into the main factor in making her stressed out. Her solution was a 30 day detox from e-mail. For me e-mailing isn’t a big issue, but to Goodman it causes a great deal of stress (Goodman). Everybody is different and when trying to be relaxed and in solitude you have to do what feels right for yourself.
When I was a sophomore in high school I helped do a leadership/college seminar for Paul Smiths College. Regardless, there main philosophy of the day was the statement “it’s all about the experience”. It was all over the campus and written on out shirts. As I kept the shirt throughout the years it became kind of a joke to me, and now still is, but in a way it’s true. College is all about the experience, definitely not just about grades. They throw you in a room with stranger(s) and give you a lot of free time to either do work or whatever you want. College makes you find yourself. That said, if you just go to class and sleep maybe watch a little television what experience are you getting? College is the time to experience as many things as you possibly can, solitude being one.
There is no doubting that solitude has changed my life. Throughout all my experiences my main goal was to find myself. Television inspired me become unique. I was tired of having my life consist of being a regiment of school T.V. and sports. I knew there were better ways out there to enjoy life, so I searched and found that Solitude can inspire your deepest passions that are now concealed but have the potential to do brilliant things. Now I’m telling you, do not live a rhythm-less voyage. Become your own person. Although it is easy to settle into your own routine, you will never fully develop as a college student. Yes, we are all classified under a certain major which does de-individualize us; however, we all still have the opportunity to make our own brand of life whatever it may be. So I ask you to challenge yourself in going out and experiencing the life of college. Solitude will open new door and close the old, and in college that is one of the most important factors.
Bibliography
Gallagher, Winfred “The Power of Place.” 1993. Chapter 14-15. 20 Nov. 2009.
Goodman , Katie. "Her 30-day e-mail detox." Oprah Magizine (2009): 1. Web. 3 Dec 2009.
Jarvis, Tim. "Mood, memory affected by your home.." Oprah Magazine (2008): 1. Web. 3 Dec 2009.
Unknown "The Laybrinth." lessions4living.com. Web. 3 Dec 2009.
Long, C.R., and J.R. Averill "Solitude: An Exploration of Benefits of Being Alone." Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour 33.1 (2003): 21-44. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
Nilsson, Brita, Unni Å. Lindström, and Dagfinn Nåden "Is loneliness a psychological dysfunction? A literary study of the phenomenon of loneliness." Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 20.1 (2006): 93-101. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
Schober, Martin. Interview with Martin Schober. Face to Face. 1 Dec. 2009.
Bennett, Greg. Interview with Greg Bennett. Face to Face. 1 Dec. 2009.
More Career Fairs at Potsdam
By Kayanja Nasif
Is the State University of New York at Potsdam doing its role to influence students to realize the importance of Career fairs and advisement?
I think my personal background had a lot to do with what I really want to become, “an engineer”. From an African culture my parents always encouraged me to take math and physics courses when I was still in middle and high school that led me to build a foundation to what I was going to do with my life. I have come to notice this is a bit different in some other cultures, where parents try to let the child decide what to do in life without really encouraging them in a direction to take that could be successful and meet their salary needs. Some parents don’t even talk to their children about careers some don’t know what to do. I have noticed this through my American raised relatives and also some college students at SUNY Potsdam. But through good career advisement, you could find out what you really want to do in life, and attending career fairs can help you practice and imagine where you would like to work.
First of all what is career advisement. Career advisement is best understood when you define the word career first. Career for many people means the part of life that is concerned with employment, however career can also be defined as “the sum of decisions that direct your educational, social, economic, political, and religious endeavors and reflect your unique personality characteristics and basic life values” (Phifer 194). Therefore Career advisement is the information you get from someone that is going to influence your direction, personal satisfaction, and fulfillment in life (Phifer 195).
Why should the school worry about good career advisement? There are plenty of benefits from successful good career advisement and most depend on an individual like salary, recognition, and helping others (Phifer 190).
With proper career advisement, “telling a student the estimated income he/she could make at a job can really motivate him/her to work hard to specialize in that major or course (Fogg, E.Harrington, and F. Harrington). This also decreases the number of dropouts and academic dismissal of students can be made smaller as the number of students with improving GPA and marketability upon graduation increases” (Adus, Chen, and Khan).
Personally, I think benefits of good career advisement should come when you achieve inner satisfaction through continuing realization of your goals like:
• “ Your deepest and most cherished life values in every major endeavor ( a home, work, school, and leisure)
• The opportunity and inspiration to use and develop current and desired skills
• The excitement about what you have achieved, are achieving, and can achieve in the future
• The salary you could be earning
• The assets you have obtained
• A good reputation or titles you have earned” (Phifer, 195-199).
Personally, I am most interested in career fairs, which helped me to define my career goals in high school. I also believe students at SUNY Potsdam do not get the opportunity to realize the importance of career fairs. I really think career fairs will expose students to the fast pace of the competitive job world we are dealing with, most especially in New York.
A career fair is an exposition for employers, recruiters and schools to meet with prospective job seekers. These career fairs usually include companies or organization tables or booths where resumes can be collected and business cards can be exchanged. In the college setting, career fairs are commonly used for entry level job recruiting. Often sponsored by career centers, career fairs provide a convenient location for students to meet employers and perform first interviews (Rehfuss, “The Future Career”).
With employees being laid off from job fields like Computer programmers, journalists, radio announcers, travel agents and federal employees, I think schools should start emphasizing the attendance of students at career fairs. Career fairs make students realize that some majors taken could be just a dead end to their chances of being successful in life. Personally, I am not trying to say these courses are bad or students should not pursue them: they could, but they would have stiff competition in the future, making only students with lots of talent, skill and knowledge to make it in those fields and the rest jobless(Wingfield).
With the economy in recession, “some jobs have high rates of layoffs, while others are very much in demand, like nursing and medical services, computing and engineering, education, green jobs (farmers, urban planners), energy technicians, infrastructure, financers and self employment and small businesses” (Quinn). Companies investing in these fields are looking for students through career fairs: these companies are trying to seek new fresh ideas from students who could really be helpful to their needs and offering them internships which could eventually result in employment. But all this can’t be possible if the school does not stimulate students to attend career fairs and invite the companies in these fields at career fairs (Quinn).
Most people are nervous when interviewed at the places they wish to work. This is where the importance of career fairs comes in: they help you kill this nervousness and prepare you to make a great impression, especially if your resume does not necessarily stand out from the crowd (Virginia Tech, “Career fairs”).
Career fairs help you see how the real world works; it is very not organized. You don’t have to be an English major to go to English horizons, and you don’t have to be an Engineering major to go to an Engineering Expo. But you do have to look at the list of employers attending in advance and see which kind of jobs each employer has, and learn more about the employers than from their web site. It also helps you learn about the culture of an organization when you meet their employees ask questions. This helps you influence employers on how you would be a good addition to their company and as a student gaining an idea of how the world works (Career Services @Virginia Tech Virginia Tech).
Most students at Potsdam I have asked start thinking about where they are going to work during their senior year, which is a normal but I would say late. I think they should start thinking about this in their sophomore or junior years. And that’s when career fairs are really helpful to students. They give them a purpose, sense of direction and plan to where they want to go after school. I think students work harder if they can envision where they could be working after school.
I recently talked to one of my friends an undergraduate from SUNY Potsdam class of 2008. Dishya is a Nepal native who came to the United States of America to pursue an education in Business Finance. She told me in her school time here, she never attended any career fair, and this has really affected her progress in getting a job (Kisha).
Sawuya, a senior at Potsdam majoring in Business Finance and Statistics, told me she has just started going to the career fairs, and this has really opened her eyes on what she wants to do, and which company she really wants to work for (Namawejje).
Brenna, a sophomore and one of my classmates in a composition 101 class, said she would really like to attend a career fair, but the only problem she has is that whenever the career fairs are taking place they collide with her class schedule. She only wishes if they could have a Career fair weekend or a Career fair being set at a different time with her class schedule ( Cooper).
Molly, a freshman and my classmate too said that she really does not know when and where career fairs take place, and thought an emphasis should be put on career fair planners in school to really make students aware of career fairs taking place, most especially freshman and sophomore. She thought it would be a good to control her nervousness around people in the job market (Thomas).
Personally I can’t really say the Career planning office at SUNY Potsdam has not really tried to advise students and inviting them to career fairs. It really has, offering various services like:
• “One-to-one career planning sessions with well trained career counselors
• A well-stocked career library containing books on occupational, information, employer directories, corporate literature, and graduate school information
• Career software tools to assist students with their career decision-making process
• Off campus full-time, part-time and summer employment listings
• Guides on career selection, networking, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, portfolio development, job searching, preparing for graduate school," what can I do with a major in...",and graduate test bulletins
• Reference file maintenance and mailings
• Job fair and career planning events
• A variety of workshops, group and class presentations
• Mock interviews
• Resume referral service
• Computers for use for accessing the internet, job postings, and career development resources
• A web site which provides plenty of information and links to help you with preparing for your career
We encourage all students, faculty, alumni and employers to make full use of our services.
• The resources of the office are available during scheduled hours.
• Appointments are only necessary when meeting with a professional staff.
• Walk-ins are possible if the staff is not in an appointment or working on a project “ (Career Services @SUNY at Potsdam)
Karen, the career planning director at SUNY Potsdam freshman said that she really has done everything in her power to encourage students to come to the career planning office as shown above in which services are offered at the career office, but most students don’t really feel the need to come in. She said that they feel the need to come in mostly in their junior and senior years which is really not good. She suggests that students should come in their freshman year in order to start building on their resumes and become more marketable (Ham).
In addition to all the above services, I think the school should do a lot more, like making students register for classes about careers or company representatives to talk to students whether freshman, sophomore, juniors, or seniors. I think Career planners should tell students the importance of building of resumes and cover letters and attending of career fairs.
Personally, I think a career fair weekend would be good for students and their parents/guardians to attend: This would really help students set a backbone to what they would like to do and parents could see were the children would really end up working with the majors they are pursuing.
Personally, I would like career planners to remember every student wants to work for a successful company. Therefore career planers should please bring good statistical record successful company representatives to talk to students. I would also like career planners not to really expect students to set up appointments with them because most students have a lot to do like assignments, research work and so much more. I suppose they could give credit for the classes, if they like to make more students to attend them which the Career planning offices are intending to do next semester offering a credit class known as FY215 (https://services.potsdam.edu/prod/bwckschd.p_disp_listcrse?term_in=200809&subj_in=FY&crse_in=215&crn_in=91136).
Personally, I think knowledge is power therefore with effective career advice on what you would like to do with a major in a job market is very important to the rest of your life. Career fairs help a student to get a picture of what would be expected of him or her to do at a job.
Bibliography
Addus, Abdussalam A, David Chen, and, Anwar S. Khan. “Academic Performance and Advisement of University Students: A Case Study College Student Journal. ” Vol. 41 Issue 2 (2007):p316-326, 11p, 7charts. Print.
Career Services @Virginia Tech. “Career Fairs & Job Fairs.” 31December 2008. Web. 23 November. 2009 .
Career Services @SUNNY at Potsdam.“Career Planning Services.”, 2008.Web. 23 November.2009..
Cooper, Brenna. Personal Interview. 23 November, 2009.
Ham,Karen. Personal interview. 4 December, 2009.
Fogg, P. Neeta, Paul E. Harrington, and Thomas F. Harrington. College Majors Handbook with Real Career Paths and Payoffs. Indianapolis: JIST Publishing Company, 2004. Print.
Kisha, Dishya. Personal Interview. 26 November, 2009.
Namawejje, Sawuya. Personal Interview. 23 November, 2009.
Phifer, Paul. College Majors and Careers. Chicago: Ferguson Publishing Company, 2000.Print.
Quinn Matt. “The Top Jobs for 2009.” FAST COMPANY, Wed 19 Dec. 2007. Web. 23 November.2009.
Rehfuss, Mark C. “The Future Career Autobiography: A Narrative Measure of Career Intervention Effectiveness Career Development Quarterly.” Vol. 58 Issue 1(2009):p 82-90, 9p.Print.
Thomas, J. Molly. Personal Interview. 23 November, 2009.
Wingfield, Brian. « The Worst Jobs for the 21stCentury”.Forbes.com.,10 Sept. 20007. Web. 23 November. 2009.
.
Is the State University of New York at Potsdam doing its role to influence students to realize the importance of Career fairs and advisement?
I think my personal background had a lot to do with what I really want to become, “an engineer”. From an African culture my parents always encouraged me to take math and physics courses when I was still in middle and high school that led me to build a foundation to what I was going to do with my life. I have come to notice this is a bit different in some other cultures, where parents try to let the child decide what to do in life without really encouraging them in a direction to take that could be successful and meet their salary needs. Some parents don’t even talk to their children about careers some don’t know what to do. I have noticed this through my American raised relatives and also some college students at SUNY Potsdam. But through good career advisement, you could find out what you really want to do in life, and attending career fairs can help you practice and imagine where you would like to work.
First of all what is career advisement. Career advisement is best understood when you define the word career first. Career for many people means the part of life that is concerned with employment, however career can also be defined as “the sum of decisions that direct your educational, social, economic, political, and religious endeavors and reflect your unique personality characteristics and basic life values” (Phifer 194). Therefore Career advisement is the information you get from someone that is going to influence your direction, personal satisfaction, and fulfillment in life (Phifer 195).
Why should the school worry about good career advisement? There are plenty of benefits from successful good career advisement and most depend on an individual like salary, recognition, and helping others (Phifer 190).
With proper career advisement, “telling a student the estimated income he/she could make at a job can really motivate him/her to work hard to specialize in that major or course (Fogg, E.Harrington, and F. Harrington). This also decreases the number of dropouts and academic dismissal of students can be made smaller as the number of students with improving GPA and marketability upon graduation increases” (Adus, Chen, and Khan).
Personally, I think benefits of good career advisement should come when you achieve inner satisfaction through continuing realization of your goals like:
• “ Your deepest and most cherished life values in every major endeavor ( a home, work, school, and leisure)
• The opportunity and inspiration to use and develop current and desired skills
• The excitement about what you have achieved, are achieving, and can achieve in the future
• The salary you could be earning
• The assets you have obtained
• A good reputation or titles you have earned” (Phifer, 195-199).
Personally, I am most interested in career fairs, which helped me to define my career goals in high school. I also believe students at SUNY Potsdam do not get the opportunity to realize the importance of career fairs. I really think career fairs will expose students to the fast pace of the competitive job world we are dealing with, most especially in New York.
A career fair is an exposition for employers, recruiters and schools to meet with prospective job seekers. These career fairs usually include companies or organization tables or booths where resumes can be collected and business cards can be exchanged. In the college setting, career fairs are commonly used for entry level job recruiting. Often sponsored by career centers, career fairs provide a convenient location for students to meet employers and perform first interviews (Rehfuss, “The Future Career”).
With employees being laid off from job fields like Computer programmers, journalists, radio announcers, travel agents and federal employees, I think schools should start emphasizing the attendance of students at career fairs. Career fairs make students realize that some majors taken could be just a dead end to their chances of being successful in life. Personally, I am not trying to say these courses are bad or students should not pursue them: they could, but they would have stiff competition in the future, making only students with lots of talent, skill and knowledge to make it in those fields and the rest jobless(Wingfield).
With the economy in recession, “some jobs have high rates of layoffs, while others are very much in demand, like nursing and medical services, computing and engineering, education, green jobs (farmers, urban planners), energy technicians, infrastructure, financers and self employment and small businesses” (Quinn). Companies investing in these fields are looking for students through career fairs: these companies are trying to seek new fresh ideas from students who could really be helpful to their needs and offering them internships which could eventually result in employment. But all this can’t be possible if the school does not stimulate students to attend career fairs and invite the companies in these fields at career fairs (Quinn).
Most people are nervous when interviewed at the places they wish to work. This is where the importance of career fairs comes in: they help you kill this nervousness and prepare you to make a great impression, especially if your resume does not necessarily stand out from the crowd (Virginia Tech, “Career fairs”).
Career fairs help you see how the real world works; it is very not organized. You don’t have to be an English major to go to English horizons, and you don’t have to be an Engineering major to go to an Engineering Expo. But you do have to look at the list of employers attending in advance and see which kind of jobs each employer has, and learn more about the employers than from their web site. It also helps you learn about the culture of an organization when you meet their employees ask questions. This helps you influence employers on how you would be a good addition to their company and as a student gaining an idea of how the world works (Career Services @Virginia Tech Virginia Tech).
Most students at Potsdam I have asked start thinking about where they are going to work during their senior year, which is a normal but I would say late. I think they should start thinking about this in their sophomore or junior years. And that’s when career fairs are really helpful to students. They give them a purpose, sense of direction and plan to where they want to go after school. I think students work harder if they can envision where they could be working after school.
I recently talked to one of my friends an undergraduate from SUNY Potsdam class of 2008. Dishya is a Nepal native who came to the United States of America to pursue an education in Business Finance. She told me in her school time here, she never attended any career fair, and this has really affected her progress in getting a job (Kisha).
Sawuya, a senior at Potsdam majoring in Business Finance and Statistics, told me she has just started going to the career fairs, and this has really opened her eyes on what she wants to do, and which company she really wants to work for (Namawejje).
Brenna, a sophomore and one of my classmates in a composition 101 class, said she would really like to attend a career fair, but the only problem she has is that whenever the career fairs are taking place they collide with her class schedule. She only wishes if they could have a Career fair weekend or a Career fair being set at a different time with her class schedule ( Cooper).
Molly, a freshman and my classmate too said that she really does not know when and where career fairs take place, and thought an emphasis should be put on career fair planners in school to really make students aware of career fairs taking place, most especially freshman and sophomore. She thought it would be a good to control her nervousness around people in the job market (Thomas).
Personally I can’t really say the Career planning office at SUNY Potsdam has not really tried to advise students and inviting them to career fairs. It really has, offering various services like:
• “One-to-one career planning sessions with well trained career counselors
• A well-stocked career library containing books on occupational, information, employer directories, corporate literature, and graduate school information
• Career software tools to assist students with their career decision-making process
• Off campus full-time, part-time and summer employment listings
• Guides on career selection, networking, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, portfolio development, job searching, preparing for graduate school," what can I do with a major in...",and graduate test bulletins
• Reference file maintenance and mailings
• Job fair and career planning events
• A variety of workshops, group and class presentations
• Mock interviews
• Resume referral service
• Computers for use for accessing the internet, job postings, and career development resources
• A web site which provides plenty of information and links to help you with preparing for your career
We encourage all students, faculty, alumni and employers to make full use of our services.
• The resources of the office are available during scheduled hours.
• Appointments are only necessary when meeting with a professional staff.
• Walk-ins are possible if the staff is not in an appointment or working on a project “ (Career Services @SUNY at Potsdam)
Karen, the career planning director at SUNY Potsdam freshman said that she really has done everything in her power to encourage students to come to the career planning office as shown above in which services are offered at the career office, but most students don’t really feel the need to come in. She said that they feel the need to come in mostly in their junior and senior years which is really not good. She suggests that students should come in their freshman year in order to start building on their resumes and become more marketable (Ham).
In addition to all the above services, I think the school should do a lot more, like making students register for classes about careers or company representatives to talk to students whether freshman, sophomore, juniors, or seniors. I think Career planners should tell students the importance of building of resumes and cover letters and attending of career fairs.
Personally, I think a career fair weekend would be good for students and their parents/guardians to attend: This would really help students set a backbone to what they would like to do and parents could see were the children would really end up working with the majors they are pursuing.
Personally, I would like career planners to remember every student wants to work for a successful company. Therefore career planers should please bring good statistical record successful company representatives to talk to students. I would also like career planners not to really expect students to set up appointments with them because most students have a lot to do like assignments, research work and so much more. I suppose they could give credit for the classes, if they like to make more students to attend them which the Career planning offices are intending to do next semester offering a credit class known as FY215 (https://services.potsdam.edu/prod/bwckschd.p_disp_listcrse?term_in=200809&subj_in=FY&crse_in=215&crn_in=91136).
Personally, I think knowledge is power therefore with effective career advice on what you would like to do with a major in a job market is very important to the rest of your life. Career fairs help a student to get a picture of what would be expected of him or her to do at a job.
Bibliography
Addus, Abdussalam A, David Chen, and, Anwar S. Khan. “Academic Performance and Advisement of University Students: A Case Study College Student Journal. ” Vol. 41 Issue 2 (2007):p316-326, 11p, 7charts. Print.
Career Services @Virginia Tech. “Career Fairs & Job Fairs.” 31December 2008. Web. 23 November. 2009
Career Services @SUNNY at Potsdam.“Career Planning Services.”, 2008.Web. 23 November.2009.
Cooper, Brenna. Personal Interview. 23 November, 2009.
Ham,Karen. Personal interview. 4 December, 2009.
Fogg, P. Neeta, Paul E. Harrington, and Thomas F. Harrington. College Majors Handbook with Real Career Paths and Payoffs. Indianapolis: JIST Publishing Company, 2004. Print.
Kisha, Dishya. Personal Interview. 26 November, 2009.
Namawejje, Sawuya. Personal Interview. 23 November, 2009.
Phifer, Paul. College Majors and Careers. Chicago: Ferguson Publishing Company, 2000.Print.
Quinn Matt. “The Top Jobs for 2009.” FAST COMPANY, Wed 19 Dec. 2007. Web. 23 November.2009.
Rehfuss, Mark C. “The Future Career Autobiography: A Narrative Measure of Career Intervention Effectiveness Career Development Quarterly.” Vol. 58 Issue 1(2009):p 82-90, 9p.Print.
Thomas, J. Molly. Personal Interview. 23 November, 2009.
Wingfield, Brian. « The Worst Jobs for the 21stCentury”.Forbes.com.,10 Sept. 20007. Web. 23 November. 2009.
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