When most people think of Loyola University New Orleans, they think of U.S. News and World Report. This magazine ranked Loyola sixth, last I checked, among regional southern schools, a statistic to be proud of indeed.While I am the first to say that Loyola’s faculty is superb and very deserving of every honor bestowed upon it, in the same breath, I would mention the word that is usually on the other side of the slash from faculty.Staff is the latter part of the “faculty/staff” equation. We students might tend to forget who makes the quads look scissor-trimmed, or who maintains the gardens. Why is “Smoker’s Alley” not constantly littered with cigarette butts? Where would we be without the refreshing smiles and “Thank you, baby!” we find daily in the Orleans Room? We would surely be overwhelmed with trays of half-eaten food if they were not quietly cleaned up, without any complaint about our sometimes-laziness. The list goes on and on.Maybe the reason why I always remember this kindness stems from personal experience.I know how it goes for the student who runs around like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to juggle too many time-consuming responsibilities with class and some kind of meager social life.During such mayhem, I misplaced my school bag.Now, this was no ordinary school bag. It contained a semester’s worth of notes, reminders of on-campus events, a daily planner, wallet, keys, etc. In short, that little bag contained most of my busy, albeit lame, life. Without it, I was handcuffed to my own inability to possess an attention span.My first priority became finding it; everything else took a backseat. In my search, I was not alone. For the next couple of days, not only did the dining and catering staff members allow me considerable freedom to search their personal offices and working areas, but they also bent over backwards, almost seeming to enjoy the extra work involved with assisting this helpless student. We tracked the bag down, finally.After this harrowing experience, a thought occurred to me: What do these people care if I do not have any notes, or whatever else I carelessly cast aside? The answer, of course, is nothing. This is not their job. This is what I think separates our staff from others.The faculty members of this institution should always be held in the utmost reverence. They train us for tomorrow and provide us with tools necessary to succeed. I encourage everyone to remember our faculty at Loyola.But beyond that, I encourage everyone to return the “Thank you, baby!” and the kind words with a smile and a “You’re welcome.” The staff members provide us with all the little things we need to get along with daily life: a smile, a “hello,” a nice casual conversation with people you feel you have already known for a long time. They train us for today, and the next day, and the next, and the next, and the next.