[Nicole Paris-Johnson] The Broadside
Wipe that smile of your face
Cedar Goslin
The Broadside
When Brittany Basset sat down in Central Oregon Community College’s cafeteria to study, she was immediately greeted with the pick-up line, “Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the one “ten” I see!” The culprit? A napkin holder.
Beginning in fall term, someone has been removing the cardboard advertisements in the cafeteria’s plastic napkin holders and replacing them with messages of their own. The messages vary from encouraging day-brighteners like, “I love you, have a great day!” to messages that are far less friendly, to the pick up lines that filled the majority of the napkin holders on Jan. 21. Although plenty of people have seen the messages, no one seems to know who’s writing them or why.
“When I sat down I honestly wondered why they’re doing it … I guess it’s kind of cute,” said Basset.
While Basset doesn’t know who’s behind the mysterious messages, she believes they’re written by a network of people rather than just one individual. Although some find the mysterious messages left in the napkin holders charming and cute, not everyone is amused.
One cashier in the COCC cafeteria said that she didn’t know who was putting the messages in the napkin holders and if she did know, she’d tell her boss, Herb Baker.
Baker, on the other hand, wasn’t too concerned about the notes that continue to reappear regardless of how many times they’re removed. According to Baker, all of the messages posted have been relatively innocent and the only problem they pose is occupying space that the school would otherwise be using.
“We use them for advertisements and updates, so we have just been taking them out and putting old things back in,” said Baker.
He went on to say that it’s just kids being kids and he doesn’t see the harm in it, sometimes he just needs the space himself.
Though he can’t be certain, Baker said that he would assume residents of Juniper Hall are the main students responsible for leaving the messages.
Whether they brighten a student’s day or make their eyes roll, and whoever is responsible for them, the napkin scribes seem to be a permanent feature in COCC’s cafeteria.
A few napkin messages
“You’re beautiful! I love you!”
“Smile, it makes people smile with you!”
“Roses are red
Violets are blue
Can I come home with you?”
“If you were words on a page, you’d be fine print.”
“Are you tired?
Because you’ve been running through my mind all day.”
“If I could rearrange the alphabet I’d put U & I together.”
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