By: Mikala McBride, staff writer
Miss Rita has been a valuable staff member of the Wofford community for over 18 years. Although she started out working in the dining room that used to exist on campus, she has been a pleasant face at the Acorn Café since its construction. Miss Rita is well known for providing an equal amount of sass and sweetness to students who stop by the café.
Unfortunately, on the morning of Oct. 18, she caught her foot on a cord and fell, breaking a part of her shoulder into four pieces. Though she quickly received medical attention, Miss Rita has yet to heal from her injuries. She has been at home since her fall, but she found out on Nov. 21 how doctors are going to proceed with her injury. Though the results will not be immediate, Miss Rita hopes to be back in the next few weeks, working hard and interacting with students. She also says she would like to come by the café and visit sometime in the very near future.
The Old Gold & Black decided to conduct a survey to gauge how students have been feeling without Miss Rita and the responses were overwhelming. Miss Rita has had a clear impact on Wofford students, from brightening their days to providing coffee early in the mornings after students have spent all night studying.
Out of the 32 students who responded to the survey, over 40 percent say that they talk to Miss Rita almost every day in a typical week, while another 30 percent say they talk to her at least a few times a week. One student responded, saying, “She is truly a bright spot to my day every single time I get the pleasure of speaking to her. Her wit, humor and not-so-subtle cynicism never fail to make me laugh even on my worst days. She is truly an asset to the college and I can’t wait to have her back!”
Other students shared similar sentiments, commenting that they can always turn to Miss Rita with problems and count on her smile to brighten their days. One student explained, “She makes everyone on this campus feel at home, but she keeps everyone on the straight and narrow.”
Even on bad days, students know that Miss Rita will be there with encouraging words and delicious coffee to help them get through the days. Miss Rita is an essential part of the Wofford community and although campus is slightly duller without her smiling face, she wants everyone to know that she misses them and she is eager to heal her shoulder and return to work.
