By EMMA TUEY
Photo Editor
After eight years working at the College of Saint Rose, Shyara Durham, known as “Shy,” resigned from Starbucks on Feb. 16.
“I used to be a grill cook upstairs in the dining hall and also used to be the night grill cook for the freshman dorm Brubacher before I became a barista in Starbucks. At that moment I decided I wanted to try something new,” Durham said.
She said there have been many positive experiences she gained while working here through the years. “I built a very good relationship with students and staff, which made me love the job I do for them, hearing the positive feedback really kept me motivated,” she said. “Even though some days I wanted to give up but the students wouldn’t let me, I stayed strong just for them,” she added.
“I thought she was a very good worker. I noticed when I would come in that the students all loved her, she was very courteous to the students, it seems like they had a personal relationship with her. When they walked in, she knew what they liked to drink, she knew what their order was,” said Vanessa Patterson, the union representative of Saint Rose Sodexo employees.
“I became the best at what I do but at some point I realized the hard work I do wasn’t getting noticed by my management team,” Durham said. “The job being understaffed is what made dining hall, Camelot, and Starbucks stressful. I became less happy once I figured out that we were understaffed. Everybody that was still there was working harder than usual,” she said.
“She felt like she was getting no support from her management team here so she was getting frustrated. I know I tried to get her to stay and you know think about the students but, I think everyday that they were you know kind of doing things to kind of drive her out sadly to say” Patterson said.
Samuel Enders, a student and employee at Starbucks said, “I would see the frustration and see the problems that would arise between the two, Shy really wouldn’t ask for much, all she would ask for was respect and to show her more recognition because the students express how much they like Shy and how great she is at making their drinks.”
“Management never cared about anything, you can be alone working and sick but you still have to be there and being alone working when it’s busy is not fun at all,” Durham said. “I ended up being so tired I had to take days off. I usually don’t just take days off but this time I have never been so tired of working ever in my life,” she said.
Shawn Monaghan, the general manager of Sodexo responded to questions about management issues via email.“Sodexo has been proud to serve the Saint Rose community and is committed to continuing our great service on campus through the end of the academic year. While we are saddened to know that the College will be closing, we anticipate that most of our employees will remain in their current positions throughout the end of the semester,” he said.
A student and employee at Starbucks who insisted on remaining anonymous for fear of retaliation said “There’s been problems with management sort of since the beginning. From when I started working there, I saw a lot of people coming in and out working there. I feel like it really started to go downhill at the beginning of fall semester 2023.”
“Management overlooked their good workers, which made me quit. Not being recognized that you’re a hard worker really made me feel less of a worker and made me question myself,” Durham said.
“They wouldn’t give her help at first and some days she would have to close the store by herself. She got no help and it was just frustrating because she said that it was going to hurt the students because they were going to get lack of service because no one wanted to kind of support her,” Patterson said.
One of Durham’s main reasons for her leaving was “the management is not organized and the management never cared, things started to get worse and worse,” Durham said. “Students, teachers, and other workers of Saint Rose noticed that we all were falling apart and felt really bad we had to go through this. Management never checked on staff.”
Referring to management’s solutions to staffing issues Patterson says, “I do know that they have gotten more support but for Shy, I guess it was a little bit too late. I feel like she deserves recognition for the work she did and the way she had heartfelt relationships with her students and really cared about them,” she said.
“While we understand that individual staff members must make choices that are best for them and their families, we are also pleased that Sodexo has a presence at nearby universities’ dining service programs to be able to provide employment opportunities for those who would like to continue working with us,” said Monaghan.
The employees and students of Saint Rose are saddened to see Shy leave. “I just want people to know that she was a good employee, she was really good at what she did and the students are going to miss her I know for sure,” said Patterson.
“But Shy, she only came here just for the sake of the students because a lot of people would be sad if she just up and left and sadly she did,” Enders said.
Though she said there have been many negative experiences with management, Durham still leaves with great memories here. “I will miss the College of Saint Rose and all the memories I had here with everyone and I also want to say thanks to everybody that believed in me, kept me motivated and made me feel welcome to be a part of the school, you guys will be missed,” she said.
