“These Are My Kids”
For these employees, campus is open snow or no
Record snowfall has shut the Charles River Campus five days this winter (so far). The snow may pile up until the drifts resemble the Matterhorn and navigating one city block can become an obstacle course of shifting slush and knee-deep puddles. It’s forbidding enough for public transportation to slow to a trickle and ground the MBTA system altogether for a day. But students have to eat, and people need to be there to unload, prepare, and serve the food, or to supervise those who do. These auxiliary workers are among the unsung heroes who helped keep the University going when many services were shut down this week. Here are some of their stories.
Lee Morris, shipping receiver, George Sherman Union
“Everybody knows me here,” says Morris, who will retire this May after 55 years at BU. His job, unloading food shipments and checking the food temperatures and safety at GSU outlets, is one that can’t be postponed because of snow. Morris take his job seriously—so much so that he walked most of the way from his home in Dorchester to reach campus during the Blizzard of 1978, which essentially shut down all of Boston for a week. This year, he’s been at work during all three major snowstorms, hopping on a bus at Dudley Station at 4:45 a.m. so he could be at work by 6 a.m. “I’m always here,” says Morris. “But this week’s storm was one of the worst, coming over 24 hours.” Known for helping out students, who refer to him as Mr. Lee, Morris says he likes snow. “But I’m getting a little tired of it,” he admits.
Jessica Crough (ENG’14), assistant food service director, GSU
“Our dinner rush was huge” on Monday, February 9, says Crough, who lives in Malden but spent that night, along with many BU essential staff, at the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square. Working what she anticipated would be a 12-hour day on Tuesday, Crough says she’s worked “a ton of long days” over the last few storms, and managers like her were pitching in at the dining halls, wiping down tables and helping with the baking. For Crough the snow closings have been a trial by fire—she began her job the first week in January. “I’m on the other side now,” says the recent alum. “You’ve got to really be there for the students, and we also provide meals for the buildings and grounds workers.”
Danny Roman, pasta station server, Marciano Commons
Roman arrived at work early Tuesday after a night at the Hotel Commonwealth. “I’d never been there before so a student helped me find it,” says Roman, who commutes from Lynn. Known to those he serves as the “pasta guy,” Roman says students who recognize him on the street have thanked him for his hard work during the three storm closings. He likes the snow days, saying, “It injects some energy. It’s a good feeling.” All the workers who had to stay overnight were missing their homes, he says. “But my priority is my job. I take care of my students.”
Stacey Murray, food runner, Marciano Commons
A BU food service worker for more than 20 years, Murray is a food runner—and much more. “I do everything,” she says. Murray, who commutes from Randolph, also stayed at the Hotel Commonwealth Monday night. She tried to go home—her car was still parked at the Ashmont T station late Tuesday—but got as far as the Red Line’s JFK stop when she was forced to turn back because of a train breakdown. “I miss my bed,” she says. Students have been constantly thanking her for her hard work during the school closings. “I’ve got to be here because they have to eat,” she says. “These are my kids.”
Kyle McMurray, manager, Starbucks at Warren Towers
During blizzard Juno, a line of plows formed outside the Starbucks at 700 Comm Ave, adjoining Warren Towers—but not for work. The drivers had come to get coffee at one of the few Starbucks open in the Brookline-Allston-Brighton area. “People really appreciate us staying open,” says McMurray, who’s worked for BU more than three years and has managed the Warren Towers Starbucks for the past year. It’s a sign of the times that Starbucks “is considered an essential part of Dining Services,” he says. McMurray oversees a staff of 27, 23 students and 4 who are not students. As the snow piled up on Monday and Tuesday, he says, BU facilities workers helped keep his entrance clear. When it comes to coffee, everyone is grateful.
Crystal Duran, supervisor, Buick Street Market & Café
Duran, who lives in Dorchester, was another guest of the Hotel Commonwealth Monday night. She stayed there so she could open the market and café at StuVi 1 at 7 a.m. sharp the next morning. She enjoyed her night at the hotel, saying, “I think we deserved it for coming in during the blizzard.” Monday morning’s commute saw Duran driving to work on “slippery, scary” roads, forcing her to open at 8 a.m. instead of the customary 7. She knows all the regulars, and says that on snow days students don’t show up for breakfast until almost 11. “We have to serve our students regardless of how it is outside,” says Duran, who has worked at the market for three and a half years.
Comments & Discussion
Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.