Piercings unwelcome at CoHo

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by Angelique Siy

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Melissa Jacobs, a Lovett College sophomore, was told immediately before Thanksgiving break that she would be further restricted in her job at the Cohen House.

Jacobs has worked at Cohen House as a waitress since the beginning of her freshman year. Her visible piercings are on her eyebrow and lip, with nine earring holes in her left ear and four in her right.

"Some of the piercings were acquired gradually over last year, but I had most of them when I was hired. At that time, there was nothing in the dress code that stipulated anything about piercings," Jacobs said.

"But it was understood that I didn't work in the President's House."

"Basically, there have been a series of compromises made about my appearance, and I was told complaints have come down from upper-level administrators," Jacobs said.

The compromises began with the understanding that she would not work in President Malcolm Gillis' home. For some time, Jacobs has been assigned to wait only on a specific section of Cohen House, so the customers who did not wish to be served by her had that option. In addition, she was not assigned to private parties.

One solution involved Jacobs combing her hair to cover up some of the piercings. Now, she has been restricted to what is called "reset" -- the "resetting" of the restaurant which takes place after all the customers have left after lunch -- to prepare for parties or the next day. As a result, Jacobs is unable to work long enough to earn the money she needs.

Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido Camacho was approached with the problem, and he was able to secure Jacobs an internship that begins next semester in which she will help build up the Women's Resource Center.

"He's been really supportive," Jacobs said.

Customer reactions to Jacobs' appearance have been varied. Faculty Club Manager Rick Gaido said, "Last summer, an alumni had his wedding party here, and he demanded that I take $1,000 off his bill, because he said his guests were so offended by [Jacob's] piercings. ... This presents a problem, since we rely on what we call outside functions to subsidize our low prices, so we reached a compromise."

Director of Food and Housing Marion Hicks said, "Yes, there have been some complaints from customers -- they thought it was excessive.

"Outside customers are not totally appreciative of whatever artwork there is in [Melissa's jewelry]. ... Health Department rules don't allow for enormous amounts of jewelry," he said.

Pressure from higher up in the administration might also have been a factor in Jacobs job change.

Gaido said, "The administration was offended; they thought [the piercings] grotesque. But I was surprised at the number of people disturbed by Melissa's jewelry.

"I thought a university would be more accepting of a person's freedom of expression; I wish there was a way that everyone would be happy, but it's not that easy," he said.

Jacobs said, "Some of the older customers have asked me if I was in a cult. Some of the customers would take interest in what I was wearing if I had just gotten something new. Some have told me that they miss me, even ... there have been the full range of reactions."

Jacobs also sees a larger picture to the events. "It says something that the administration would discriminate against someone based on appearance rather than job performance. Where would they draw the line? And at a university like Rice, someone should be allowed to be herself. It's not the real world yet; the time for compromises should be later. It's sad that something like this should happen," she said.

Although the official reason cited for her restriction to "reset" is "customer complaints," Jacobs and Gaido feel that there may be other reasons, since there does not seem to be any evidence that her performance was not up to par.

"She's a very good worker: cheerful and dependable. ... The professors and her peers will hate to lose her. I just wish every student was as good as she is," Gaido said.

Hicks said, "She's a very sweet individual ... I like her a lot."

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