Campus Comedy: Construction Zone

It was not that I thought I was so great, or had so much potential that they just had to hire me. No, it was just the awesomeness of being on the front line and working for the church, and especially in what we thought was the end time. I had envisioned working hard, and even being rewarded for my efforts. it was an exciting time......

It wasn't long before reality struck home, the vision of harmony within the work force, this ideal soon became shattered. It was not shattered by the front line employees, they were involved and committed to doing their jobs, and doing them to the best of their ability, at least that was the case most of the time, we all occasionally mess up. But it became obvious after a few short days that this paradise had some thorns among the roses.

It appeared that the management, the department heads and supervisors were working against each other. I thought to myself that perhaps my judgement was being somehow distorted, and that I did not see clearly as to what was happening. Because what I saw made no sense at all. Power struggles within the work of god, (no, I did not forget to capitalise the "g"), it just did not make sense. So I concluded that I misinterpreted the facts. Sound familiar? I must be wrong, surely the leadership in the church and college couldn't be acting in such a carnal and irresponsible way.

But then it became evident that something was wrong, and it was not me.....The landscape department spent several long and hard days redoing an area between the Library and Mayfair. And when they were done it looked spectacular! The Pasadena campus won several major awards for its beautiful campus, and not just once but multiple times. So we all stood back and admired our handy work.....then the unexpected happened! Of all things another work crew pulled up in a truck and announced that they were going to put in a sidewalk over the newly landscaped area. If there were any plants we wanted to save, they were generous, they gave us 30 minutes to move them all. But this couldn't possibly be happening! It turned out to be a nightmare, how could such poor planning take place?

The order for the concrete sidewalk came from an office that no one dared challenge or even inquire. When Jack Elliot spoke, he was the head of building and grounds, no one dared to ask, "Are you sure this will work?". I always though that the "head" was an slang expression for the toilet. Interesting contrast.

It was inevitable, there was no stopping the construction crew once they had their work order. They were fast and efficient and they did not stop until their goal had been accomplished. So they tore up the landscaped area and put in a sidewalk. And I must admit when they were done, it did look very nice.....Then it happened again! Now what! They were no sooner finished, the concrete was not completely set, it was still soft in some areas, when the plumbing crew showed up and announced they had their work order in hand and were eager to complete their job. You guessed it, they needed to tear up the side walk and put in some new plumbing....it really was a mess, not because of the crews or the work. The disorder fell squarely on the shoulders of the dept. heads, among the bosses.

It was really quite sad, when you consider that the whole situation was ridiculous . It could have been avoided with just a little communication between the management team.

And this by no means was an isolated situation. Is it any wonder that the work of HWA needed more and more money to keep every thing moving?

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