Please Stand Behind The Line – Writers House Review

A Podcast By Ayah Elkashif & Sarah Behrouzian

My name is Ayah Elkashif and I am a senior at Rutgers University. I am studying Cell Biology and Neuroscience, and although science is pretty cool, my passions lie in filmmaking and photography. We made “Please stand behind the white line” to investigate the student’s perspective on the Rutgers bus drivers. We felt that there was a barrier between student life and the bus drivers, which is weird considering we spend so much time sharing the same bus space. Many people desensitize themselves to service workers, creating a sense of entitlement which can often lead to hostility and lack of gratitude. This podcast aims to diminish that “line” in hopes to shift the listener’s perspective to be more open to kindness and appreciation (even when you miss the bus).

My name is Sarah Behrouzian, one of the co-creators of “Please Stand Behind The Line”. Throughout my years at Rutgers I have often witnessed how poorly the bus drivers are treated and how often they are taken for granted. The students at Rutgers University depend on the bus system but students rarely say a simple thank you at the end of their rides. Throughout the podcast we asked students about their experiences and had them reflect on how they might have treated the bus drivers in the past. The purpose of our podcast was to shed light on this problem and to encourage students to learn about each other’s stories in order to understand each other better. By starting these conversations, we are able to better our whole community.