At 6 a.m., the clatter of trays and hum of the industrial dishwasher begin long before most Villanova students are awake. But, for Catherine Casey, after the prep, when the morning rush comes in, it is an opportunity to connect.
“Feeding you guys, it feels great,” she said with a warm smile. “Getting to know you, staying here, it really means something.”
Casey is one of many staff members who keep Donahue, better known as Pit, Villanova’s central dining hall, running day after day. Everyone is familiar with taco Tuesday and the dreaded Sunday omelet line we hate but wait in anyway. However, many are unfamiliar with the people behind the counter, the hands that prepare the meals or the stories they carry.
For Jennifer Policarpio, the work is personal.
“I treat the students like my kids,” she said. “I always tell my kids that, because they’re both away at college. So I make sure how I treat you guys is how I want them to be treated in their schools.”
Policarpio’s warmth is immediate. Asked to describe working at Pit in three words, and she replied: “Community, coworkers, and students.” But she’s honest, too.
“It’s really hard, especially at night time,” she said. “We feed around a thousand students, and if we’re short-staffed, it gets really hard. But we always offer a helping hand to each other, especially if someone is struggling.”
This spirit of teamwork is profound and consistent. Casey speaks fondly of how the staff has grown into a family over the years.
“We do potlucks, karaoke and day trips,” she said. “On Memorial Break, most of us have the same days off. That’s when we come together — eating out, spending time, bonding, that kind of stuff.”
Ophelia Cuevas, who recently switched from a morning to an afternoon shift, shares the same appreciation for her colleagues. When asked her favorite thing about working at Pit, she immediately said, “Jennifer.”
“It’s stressful in this environment, but if everybody works together, it’s much easier,” she said.
Still, it’s not always easy. The job is a high-pressure space, and like any workplace, personalities can clash.
“Not everybody gets along,” Cuevas said. “But that’s true in life. When you leave here, you’ll work with people who are different from you. You have to adapt.”
And for many workers, adaptation has been part of their journey to Villanova. Some staff come from other countries and must adjust to new cultural expectations, especially around how they’re treated in a service setting.
“Some students are nice, some are not,” Cuevas said. “But we have to hold it in because this is our job. Especially because we are from another country, we have to learn to adapt to the environment.”
When asked how she copes with rudeness from students, she paused.
“I just think of it as the student having a bad day,” she said. “I’m a parent, too, so I think maybe it’s like my daughter having a bad day. But it is nice when students acknowledge us, if they are friendly and have conversations.”
Policarpio agreed. When asked if there was one thing she could say to Villanova students.
“I love them,” she said, instantly.
Just as there are favorite moments, there are favorite dishes, and who better to ask than the Pit staff themselves. Just for our future reference, Casey swears by the brussels sprouts and Mexican street corn. Policarpio and Cuevas enjoy the end of semester dinners, which, by the way, is coming up soon.
So, the next time you are in Pit, slow down. It is easy to get caught in the hustle, but it is important to not just see people for what they do, but who they are. Try sparking a conversation, or asking a name. As Casey, Policarpio and Cuevas show, a dining hall is more than a place to eat, it is where community takes hold.
