Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,There are times in a person life where one loses all faith in the good of others. Mine occurred just the other day. I was on a flight and the plane just landed. I set my wallet on the seat for a second so I could grab my tickets for my connecting flight. In that single second it was gone.

I assumed it fell, so I searched the plane, reported it missing, and looked through my bags hoping it would turn up. It didn't. Now that sickly feeling of being betrayed overcame me. The realization that it had not fell, but it had been stolen. If I am mugged on the streets, I at least have some glimmer of a hope that the person did it to eat, or because they needed to sate their addiction. But no one who can afford an airplane ticket, needs the $40 dollars in my wallet.

I sat there in the airport with my girlfriend, waiting hopefully for a page. I was without any money, ID, EMT card, College ID, or my collection of business cards. It was a moment of true vulnerability, without any glimmer of optimism. I was angry at the thief. I hoped that they would not ask for my ID again, and that I could get on my next plane. I talked with my credit card company in the endless cycle of being on hold and bad music. I dreaded dealing with the slowest bureaucratic body on the face of the planet, the PA Department of Health to get my EMT card reissued. I realized I could not get a new Drivers License until Christmas. All this hanging like a dark cloud over the rest of my day.

Luckily, I was able to get on my next plane. I was able to get a ride to Campus Safety and I walked in, exhausted, stressed, and still a bit angry. For all my troubles that day, there was a woman who sat behind the desk who was an angel. When I told her my troubles, she warmly talked to me, made me a new ID, and gave me enough money (out of her own pocket) to survive for a few days until I could get money wired to me.

This is the life of a Muhlenberg dispatcher. They are witnesses to our troubles and they seek to fix them. When you call at one in the morning because your power went out or because a light bulb broke, or because your friend is sick and needs help, you are calling these people. This job is hard, the hours are long and it is often thankless. There are times when one loses all faith in the good of people, and then there are people who reaffirm your faith in the goodness and happiness of the world.

This is a story of the good of all who seek to aid the weary wander. Thank you Muhlenberg dispatchers for not merely helping me but serving all the students of the College. I do not, nor should any student, take for granted, the people who aid in times of need.

Sincerely,

Cameron Hass '11