Campus Staff Lavished with Appreciation

Ioana Patringenaru | April 28, 2008

About 500 staff members took part in a Western-themed appreciation event.

Click here to view a slideshow of the event.

Johnny Cash’s music filled the room. The smell of collard greens filled the air. And hundreds of staff members packed the Price Center Ballroom Wednesday to take part in one of the staff appreciation events that took place on campus last week.

In all, almost 500 employees turned out for “A Tribute to Johnny Cash,” a lunch buffet with live entertainment. Other events included surf-and-turf fine dining and a breakfast at the UCSD Faculty Club.

“It makes you feel appreciated,” said Cindy Svacina, a financial coordinator in the department of communication. “It’s very nice that the university does this for us.”

Svacina had put together her Western wear outfit that morning by raiding her husband’s closet — namely borrowing one of his hats and one of his checkered shirts. Others took more time to prepare. Bill Speckmann, a human resources programmer analyst and country music fan, donned a brown leather hat he bought during a visit to the Blue Mountains region of Australia. He also sported a black embroidered blouse from Nashville.

Cindy Svacina raided her husband's closet for her outfit.

“I look forward to it every year,” he said of the staff appreciation event. “I looked forward to it even more so this year because I really enjoy country music.”

Speckmann also had good things to say about the buffet, which included a wide spread of Southern comfort foods. The dishes were presented on black tablecloth covered with hay and peanuts. In a nod to Cash, waiters were dressed in black and wore cowboy hats. Speckmann said he enjoyed the yams with candied pecans and the beef brisket dressed up with green onion and pepper sauce. “It’s delicious,” he said.

But for Andrew Lemon, a painter in the campus’ housing department, it was all about the collard greens. Lemon, who described himself as a “greens’ connoisseur,” said that dish was done just right. Wednesday, he watched as two colleagues played an animated game of foosball. Nearby, other employees played pool and some couples engaged in a round of country dancing.

“It gives us a change to get away and relax and meet people,” Lemon said of the staff appreciation event. “It’s very beautiful.”