Catherine Walsh Davis BA’ 70, MM ’76
Many Cookies remember Martha Cook’s front desk as the place to pick up the Michigan Daily in the morning, mail just after noon, and phone messages when returning to the Building from class or after dinner. Time, not to mention COVID-19, has changed the desk’s functions. The Daily is now non-subscription and available in the hall, mailboxes are in the basement rec room, and the switchboard and message board are long gone. The location itself is no longer referred to as the front desk but since 2015, as the Community Center (CC).
Although the Building is now closed due to COVID-19, changes to the CC during the first semester were minimal. Because of its original barriers—the window to the main hall and the door to the side hall—and the natural ventilation to the outside through its windows, changes due to COVID-19 were behavioral rather than reconstructive. The window to the hall remained closed unless needed to open to pass an item to a resident and only two persons were allowed in the room at any one time. Hand sanitizer and gloves were available to the women working at the desk and, of course, all Cookies wore masks in public spaces.
What didn’t change is that the Community Center Assistants (office assistants prior to 2015), or CCAs as they are often called, were the first contact for anyone entering the Building and were the front line of security for the residents. According to Martha Cook Campos, Vice President of MCB’s Board of Governors, “CCA staff at Martha does a great job of supporting the residents’ safety and security. They are often the first person a visitor meets when coming to the Building, and we are very appreciative of the warmth and friendliness with which they greet everyone who comes to our front door.”
Under the 2016 agreement between MCB’s Governors and University Housing, the CCAs reported to a community center manager affiliated with University Housing and, because the positions fall under the safety and security rubric, the reporting relationship will continue under the new agreement recently signed by the Governors and Housing. In fact, CCAs need not be MCB residents, although Cookies are given priority for employment under the new agreement. The CCAs work closely with Patty Mullaney and the Building’s hall director and are fully aware of the needs of the Martha Cook community.
During both last semester and last year, the two CCAs with the most experience, senior Catharine Fennessey and junior Michayla Saraino, mentored the other five CCAs and the four RAs who staffed the center from 9 am to 10 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 10 pm on Sundays.
Catharine who hails from Grosse Pointe, MI, described the CCA’s duties when the Building is open: “We have some duties of a receptionist, like answering the phone and providing information to potential residents. We also handle printing for House Board and track temporary and replacement keys and other supplies that can be checked out, like a vacuum and iron, for residents who want them. Mail shift is a major part of our duties, and we handle Housing paperwork for residents who move in and out.”
Michayla, originally from Westland, MI, added, “We act as a resource to residents for general Building and campus information and provide information about community events. We spend time making sure all residents feel welcome and can advocate for different Building and campus events that we feel residents may enjoy. If there are ever questions that we cannot answer, we are able to direct people to the staff or online page which would be able to better answer their question.”
Both young women are Martha residents and exemplify the diverse interests of Cookies. Catharine is studying classical languages and literature and is preparing her thesis discussing the tenth-century German playwright Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim. She is thinking about obtaining a teaching certificate to teach Latin. Michayla is double majoring in Linguistics and Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN). She hopes to do research post-graduation on how the brain handles language. Catharine is a member of Sweet Harmony, the Martha Cook choral society, and Eta Sigma Phi, a society for undergraduates majoring in classics. Last year, Michayla volunteered at the University Center for Language and Literacy, but was unable to participate this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Both young women cited reading as one of their hobbies. Catharine is also a runner and is studying German independently. Michayla enjoys listening to music, baking, and painting.
With all the disruptions to MCB life over the last several months, it is nice to know that a part of it—our old front desk, now a community center—retained most of its normalcy during a crisis and was still staffed by intelligent, competent Cookies. When conditions allow the Building to open, it is a certainty that CCAs will once again be on the job in this treasured spot.