This past Friday, I found myself in the midst of the Black Friday phenomenon as I worked as a cashier at Wal-Mart. While I had participated as a shopper in the past, this was my first experience on the front line.
It was amazing to see so many people excited about items as they scouted out their locations for the start of the midnight sales and then waited until the next sales at 5 a.m. It was also disappointing to see individuals grab items only to come to the registers and not need them. It was sort of unfair to those who had barely missed out on getting something because of the demand.
The registers were extremely busy, as people were buying a myriad of toys, clothes, electronics and food, as well as holiday decorations. While I have been working as a cashier at Wal-Mart since early August, it was certainly the most intense and pressure-packed situation I have faced. My experience at Wal-Mart has been a learning experience on so many different levels.
This particular experience with Black Friday made me think about how university resources are dealt with in this financial climate. On some levels, the experience of Black Friday, with patrons trying to vie for certain items, could be seen as ironically similar to what happens on the resource end of things. This is especially true over the last three years, as colleges have been forced to make cuts because of state budget shortfalls.
Within one university (i.e. Virginia Tech), there are different colleges each vying for a piece of the resource pot. It is interesting when one looks at strategic plans and recent actions of the Board of Visitors and sees where the priorities are, what colleges are getting what and who is being left out of the equation.
For example, one can see the growth and expansion of the life sciences, with the construction efforts in the Litton Reaves area, the expansion of the arts in the theatre and music realms with the new fine arts building underway. One can also see the expansion in engineering with new buildings on the horizon.
We also hear about the challenges certain colleges are facing; such as the College of Agriculture Extension Services budget being drastically cut. If anything, this only raises significant questions and fears about what a true land-grant institution looks like under this streamlined extension area. Extension has always been seen as a hallmark of the land-grant effort.
The Black Friday comparison also provides a window into the competitive spirit among the colleges and which has influence within the administrative circles. Such competition for resources among the colleges raises questions about why certain things happen and don’t happen on this campus.
A version of this article appeared in the Nov 30 issue of the Collegiate Times.
Leave a comment 1 Comment Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Virginia Tech was a good deal for out of staters but now with with tuition increases I feel the gap is closing. Also, there seems to be a startling number of competitive majors at VT now. History? Come on now.
Reply to this Top