Hey all, this is Kevin Hutchins, the Assistant Unit Manager for Dining. As the reins of power are being handed over in a peaceful process akin to the presidency, I thought it would be a good chance to get a glimpse into the minds of the outgoing and incoming General Managers, Anthony Calcagni and Josh Espinoza. What follows is a conversation that started off understanding why they got where they are and developed into talking about superpowers and video games. Enjoy.
Q: Why did you choose BuDS?
Anthony Calcagni: I saw advertisements around campus, though I initially wanted to work at the bookstore, but it wasn’t as student-friendly as I wanted. BuDS was run by students, easy to sign up for, and offered a lot of places where I could work.
Look familiar?
Josh Espinoza: I thought about other jobs as well, but was impatient and just decided to sign up for BuDS during freshman orientation.
Q: What was the first unit you chose to work at, and why did you choose it?
JE: I worked at the Gate because I lived on Pembroke, so I thought it would make sense to work close to where I lived. Unfortunately, I hadn’t thought through the fact that it was a closing shift. From that point on I opted for morning shifts in the Blue Room.
AC: I started in Catering Prep and Jo’s, enjoyed the organizational aspect of Catering Prep and how many people you get to interact at Jo’s. I had the FishCo shift on Wednesday nights, that was a lot of fun.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to advance in BuDS?
AC: When I was told by former Blue Room UM Aaron Zick that I should apply for cashier UM, I realized I had more time than I thought to devote to the organization so I applied.
JE: I was also told by Aaron Zick to apply for supervisor. He found me on shift and told me I should apply and that the deadline was in two hours.
Former Blue Room UM Aaron Zick
Q: Was the GM position everything you expected, both at the end of your career, Anthony, and the beginning, Josh?
AC: I had no idea how often the GM worked or what they did at the beginning of my career, when I applied I didn’t see exactly how my job would go. It turns out it is a lot more of “putting out fires” and solving problems when they arise.
JE: Issues that come to the GM position are often serious because the chain of command can handle small problems. Another thing I’m coming to learn that working as GM is a much lonelier prospect than working as a UM, since I don’t interact directly with workers and supervisors as much as I used to.
Q: What are two attributes you appreciate most in a BuDS worker?
JE: Empathy and strong work ethic: the best BuDS workers combine a desire to do well with an understanding of the obligations of working a job, while still having the empathy to understand what’s going on in the jobs/lives of other workers, supervisors, and managers and the connections between them.
AC: Communicativeness and self-awareness, knowing and being able to use the resources that are available to them, and knowing when they have problems to solve they can reach out to their supervisors and managers to help them out.
Q: What general advice do you have for anyone who wanted to advance in BuDS?
AC: Realize how much time you can take when taking on an increased role in the organization, and think about what you can do to improve the organization.
JE: I think it’s great that people are interested in advancing and bolstering their responsibilities within BuDS. There are also leadership positions such as Commencement Coordinator that are shorter-term that people can apply for. If you don’t get the first position you apply for, there are numerous positions to continue to apply for so don’t give up after the first go.
Q: What is your favorite BuDS food and what is your favorite food?
JE: Ivy Room falafel is my favorite BuDS food, but never with tomatoes, because it introduces too much sogginess. My favorite regular food is breakfast burritos, again because it is wrapped up deliciousness. I also like anything with chile peppers and tortillas.
AC: Cajun Chicken Pasta at the Ratty, but my favorite food in general is buffalo chicken pizza, both of these because they are spicy.
Q: Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?
Which would you fight?
AC: Horses, play to win.
JE: I would appreciate the challenge of fighting the duck, since I assume it would be delicious to eat afterwards as well.
Q: If you could have one superpower what would it be?
AC: The ability to move through space and time at will.
JE: Telekinesis, being able to manipulate all of matter can extrapolate to other powers, such as creating vacuums and moving faster than the speed of light to travel back in time.
AC: Actually, I want that power.
Q: What’s your favorite video game?
AC: Mass Effect 1, it had great storytelling and awesome action.
JE: I hated Mass Effect 1, the loading screens disguised as elevators undermined the whole experience for me. My favorite game is Carcasssone for Xbox, such a great board game that works well on a console.
AC: I think Josh is an idiot.
There’s no capes in Mass Effect
Q: What’s been your favorite class at Brown?
JE: Science fiction cinema, there were no elevators in that class.
AC: I really liked the Constitutional Law class I took this semester; it gave me a good sense of the rich legal history of the United States.
Q: What’s your favorite TV show?
JE: The Simpsons is transcendentally the greatest show of all time, explaining a lot of issues through the lens of the family, while being hilarious.
AC: My answer is Futurama, because it does everything The Simpsons does but smarter.
If you have any other questions for these gentleman or myself, you can reach us at:
Kevin Hutchins: kevin_hutchins@brown.edu
Anthony Calcagni: anthony_calcagni@brown.edu
Josh Espinoza: joshua_espinoza@brown.edu
