NEWS | Global Greetings started in Student Employment Services (SES) after they observed students not acknowledging each other when entering or exiting the office. This led to a discussion with students about not greeting each other, smiling or making eye contact. The students took it upon themselves to “change normal.” To encourage a friendly “hello” and “goodbye” amongst themselves, they decided to feature a different language and cultural greeting each week and agreed to use it upon entering and exiting the office. Students started taking turns selecting the greetings, creating a poster and including information about the country’s culture. Global Greetings has been a part of the SES ethos for two years and has proven successful – students and staff can often be found greeting each other and strangers across campus in different languages. The benefits have been plentiful in terms of students talking to one another, making eye contact, engaging with one another and even planning social excursions together, outside of the office. We’ve also learned about other countries, cultures and languages through this exercise and further embraced our global identity.
View this month’s Global Greeting: Polish.
Student Employment Services now wants to spread this exercise to the entire Division. Every month we will feature a new “global greeting” in our staff newsletter. Staff are encouraged to use it with each other and your student staff. Post it in your break room, add to an agenda, practice when walking the halls.