Second Semester Students Sunday AbakW1,l~ • lmo, Nigeri.. Connie A1eunder . McKinney . TX Belinda Baints - Harare, Zimbabwe David Barnttt - Jackson, MS Karen Barnick - Tren ton. OH Jon Beach - Searcy, AR Dawn Sho;ne • Camp Hilt PA Lori Bound$ • l ompoc . CA Ann B ranGn~r • New Albany. OH Ro~rt Brandr.u · New Albany . OH Sh~rri BridRf'S • Bangkok. Thailand Conchita Brown · Englewood. TN Kath ryn Brown· Searcy. AR Amy Bu rkhalt~r • Boise. ID David Burrus· Beebe, AR lisa C... ntr~1I . Carrizozo , MN Jam~$ Cartod; . Blytheville. AR Tfr~sa Carlton · Searcy. AR They Were Never Too "Switch-bored" What did you do at Harding from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.? While most of us were sleeping soundly, one of the Univesity swi tchboard operators was on the job. For the most part, there was little action at the phone during the "graveyard shift. " The busiest hours were usually from 10:30 p.m. to midnight or 12:30 a.m. Between 2 and 6 a.m. , the operators had to find things to do to keep busy. Todd Martin , a senior who worked the switchboard, said that he generally was the only person in the Heritage lobby after 1 a.m. when the resident assistant went back to his room. 'The security guards usuall y come in to the office at 2:00 or 2:30 in the morning to check on some stuff, but they go right back out, and the paper delivery man comes at about 180 Second Semester Studen ts 5:45," said Martin. What did the opera to rs do to occupy themselves? Mike Britton a freshman operator, said he did homework or read a magazine or newspaper. Senior Dave Grendon, also an operator, sa id , "I catch up on a lot of reading ." Concerning stay ing awake , Britton said , "Sometimes I stand ·up instead of sit. " Martin had a more practical solution for his sleepy moments. "I lay my head down on the desk and sleep for a while," he sa id. It was not always quiet betweert 2:00 and 6:00 in the morning at the switchboard. Every once in a while a long distance call from overseas came in in the middle of the night. "One night a lady called from Nigeria at 3:30 or 4:00," said Martin . "I knew it was costing her a fortune to call , and she didn"t know the extension number or dorm she wanted. 1 finally got her in touch with the person she needd " e . Gendron said that he had had calls from Egypt and Bancock in the wee hours of the morning. The operators a lso received prank phone calls on the job. 'The norm is about two prank calls a night ," said Grendon, who started as a daytime operator and information desk wo rker. "Some of them tell good jokes that even I laugh at," he said. "Somet imes they just scream in my ear. Britton said , "Strange people call and don ' t know what they' re talking about , or people just call and hang up. " Phone, a medical emergency number used by Searcy doctors. The number also served as the AkoGrendron said the busiest time for the phone lines were when there were school functions coming up or tests the next day. He said from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. was the hardest on the operator because the lines were so busy , and he had to perform the duties of the information desk. too. However , being busy didn 't always have drawbacks. ''The times when it's busy are when the job goes the fastest, " said Grendron. There were times when working the switchboard went slowly, but it never got boring. Obviously these operators were never too "switch-bored ." II - Liz Herrel lerial McGinness pauses to reset his eyes fo r a mome'1t as tile late ,light hours tick on.
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