Saga surveillance
they stop petty pilfering
Mary Petrides
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: Focus
Door monitor Emily Birchmier, a sophomore, remembers yelling at two girls running from Knorr Family Dining Room with a hooded sweatshirt full of apples.
"It was very embarrassing. But I got a round of applause for it," though the girls escaped, she said.
Since Saga, Inc., remodeled Curtiss Memorial Dining Hall in 1995, door monitors have been a staple in cafeteria dining. And since then, students have attempted to sneak into meals, and sneak out of meals with extra food.
Sophomore Rachael Erichsen, who has been a door monitor since last year, suspects that the presence of door monitors increases theft.
"It's almost a challenge, and you can set up your hubris against it," she said.
More audacious food-removal attempts include watermelons, cartons of ice cream, whole bunches of bananas, loaves of bread, and at least one coat lined with foil-wrapped hamburgers.
General Manager of Saga, Inc., Kevin Kirwan said when Knorr Family Dining Room opened, some male students lowered a floppy hat into the cafeteria on a rope and began filling it with oranges. The students were caught and the oranges confiscated.
Birchmier said she has "probably one of the easiest jobs on campus."
She notices patterns in food theft and keeps her eye on a few people in particular, especially athletes.
"They're big people; they need a lot of food," she said.
Door monitors "can't be intimidated, you can't be timid… I know I'm little and don't look intimidating, but they gave me a chance," she said.
Sophomore Tom Sawyer began at his post only recently. "It's not the most exciting job in the world," he said.
Sawyer said he confiscated four pieces of fruit on his first day, mostly from his friends.
"Most people aren't ridiculous about it," he said. "Who needs four apples?"
"Sometimes they just keep walking. That's the most irritating. 'Hey, you've got four apples. I see you.'…[I] feel like I should take mug shots."
"It was very embarrassing. But I got a round of applause for it," though the girls escaped, she said.
Since Saga, Inc., remodeled Curtiss Memorial Dining Hall in 1995, door monitors have been a staple in cafeteria dining. And since then, students have attempted to sneak into meals, and sneak out of meals with extra food.
Sophomore Rachael Erichsen, who has been a door monitor since last year, suspects that the presence of door monitors increases theft.
"It's almost a challenge, and you can set up your hubris against it," she said.
More audacious food-removal attempts include watermelons, cartons of ice cream, whole bunches of bananas, loaves of bread, and at least one coat lined with foil-wrapped hamburgers.
General Manager of Saga, Inc., Kevin Kirwan said when Knorr Family Dining Room opened, some male students lowered a floppy hat into the cafeteria on a rope and began filling it with oranges. The students were caught and the oranges confiscated.
Birchmier said she has "probably one of the easiest jobs on campus."
She notices patterns in food theft and keeps her eye on a few people in particular, especially athletes.
"They're big people; they need a lot of food," she said.
Door monitors "can't be intimidated, you can't be timid… I know I'm little and don't look intimidating, but they gave me a chance," she said.
Sophomore Tom Sawyer began at his post only recently. "It's not the most exciting job in the world," he said.
Sawyer said he confiscated four pieces of fruit on his first day, mostly from his friends.
"Most people aren't ridiculous about it," he said. "Who needs four apples?"
"Sometimes they just keep walking. That's the most irritating. 'Hey, you've got four apples. I see you.'…[I] feel like I should take mug shots."
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