With a dwindling bank account and a tight class schedule on his mind, Marquith Muhammad traded in his sleep cycle for much-needed spending cash.

Taking the 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. shift at the Boland Hall front desk, it wasn’t long before the residential security agent was exposed to his duties.

‘One night a naked guy came into the (residence) building,’ said the junior industry design major. ‘He originally had his clothes over his private parts, but then he flashed us.’

Working late shifts at restaurants and residence halls, many Syracuse University students are forced to embrace a nocturnal life in order to ensure their financial security. Although sleep deprivation often becomes a problem, their sacrifices are well compensated with an all-inclusive perk: live entertainment.

Muhammad said the influence of alcohol also plays a role in amusing student surveillance opportunities.

‘A drunk person fell down the steps of B/B one night,’ Muhammad said. ‘It wasn’t funny until he got up and tried to act like nothing happened.’

Some observations are more accidental and disturbing in nature. Senior Lisa Marsh, who works from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Inn Complete on South Campus, interrupted two people having sex one night. According to the senior psychology major, she was taking out the trash when she saw them ‘doing it’ against the side of the restaurant where she works.

Chris Stewart, a Pita Pit employee who works the 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift, not only observes but interacts with intoxicated and hostile customers.

‘Once, a drunk girl came into the store and started dancing with me,’ said the senior psychology major. ‘I sort of knew her, but I know she would not have asked me to dance if she wasn’t drunk.’

Stewart’s other close encounters have more dangerous implications.

‘I got in a fight with three different panhandlers on three separate incidences one night,’ Stewart said. ‘This one panhandler had his arm draped over two girls and was being dirty with them, so I kicked him out.’

Although hapless residents and customers sometimes cause trouble for student employees, the most trying part of their evening duties lies in the ability to build sleep resilience. To meet the pressing demands of school and work, nocturnal employees are forced to either develop strict sleep regiments or sacrifice their sleep altogether.

Freshman Matt Belanich, a student marshal for the Department of Public Safety, says his 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. shift often interrupts his ideal seven hours of sleep.

‘The hardest part of the job is trying to get through lecture the next day,’ said Belanich, a freshman science education major. ‘I’ve already slept through one or two. It can really be trying.’

Dr. Peter Vanable, who teaches abnormal psychology, has made efforts to relieve students – like Belanich – who find themselves in an unavoidable rut of sleep deprivation.

‘I’ve changed the time I offered courses because, if sleep deprivation is pronounced enough, nodding becomes almost uncontrollable,’ Vanable said. ‘Students are grumpier, attend less, and seem less engaged even at 10 a.m.’

When the effects of daytime sleepiness become unavoidable, student employees design numerous ways to stay attentive on the job and in class. The most popular wake-up strategy is caffeine consumption.

‘I get wicked hyped up on coffee,’ said Carlyn Satkus, a senior philosophy major and Pita Pit employee. ‘I’m just really nocturnal, and I’m up this late all the time.’

At the other end of the Pita counter, Satkus’ coworker turns to more extreme measures when in need of a caffeine kick.

‘I take caffeine pills sometimes,’ Stewart said. ‘In the morning when I jump out of bed, I just pop a couple in.’

Vanable warns that a continued usage of pills may not only make it harder to sleep at the appropriate time, but also increase the risk of abuse.

‘Caffeine is a sort of fabric of our lives,’ said Vanable, ‘but we all need our sleep. Without it, our body cannot properly adjust to the ups and downs of the day.’

Despite the invasion by their shifts on their sleep and free time, most student employees consider the gratification and amusement from their positions worthy of the sacrifice.

‘I feel like I’m doing a good deed,’ Belanich said. ‘I always get e-mails of muggings and other stuff happening on campus – I just don’t want that happening.’

Other students, like Satkus and Stewart, relish their interactions with other students and the imprint that customers leave – in some cases – on their doorways.

‘Our door is still a little jammed from a bar fight we had over here,’ Satkus said. ‘One girl eventually jumped over the counter to chase the people out.’

Published on November 14, 2004 at 12:00 pm