Students' random compliments result in varied reactions
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/19/2008
Kevin Daly
Kevin Daly | Senior Photographer Brett Westcott, a sophomore in the School of Engineering (left), and Cameron Brown, a sophomore in the School of Management (right), give out free compliments between Wetherill and Stanley Coulter. The compliment duo give out compliments every Wednesday afternoon.
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For nearly a month and a half, Brett Westcott and Cameron Brown have entertained and annoyed members of Purdue's community.
Most Wednesdays, Westcott, a sophomore in the School of Civil Engineering, and Brown, a sophomore in the School of Management, stand outside Wetherill Lab of Chemistry and yell out compliments to passersby.
It started off with Westcott trying to do something friendly for Purdue's community.
"I was going to give people shade," he said. "I did compliments one day (and) told Cameron (about it) and he said, "I want to do compliments!'"
Part of their purpose can be attributed to the fact that "No one says thank you when you hold the door anymore," Brown said in reference to a song, but to one passerby their purpose was more spiritual.
"One day, one lady and her husband walked by," Westcott said. "She came back and asked us, �perhaps God posed this idea in your sleep,' and I was like �Amen.'"
Other people who walk by Westcott and Brown have had mixed reactions to their free compliments, which have been greeted with responses that range from high fives to suggestive hand signals.
"Some people are like, �What is this?' Most of them are pretty negative about it," Brown said. "But you get people legitimately interested in why we're out there."
Westcott and Brown stand outside Wetherill Chemistry Lab between the hours of noon and 2:30 p.m., and though there are periods of time when students, faculty and staff can scarcely be seen, it's the few passersby that they enjoy complimenting.
"It's never boring, somebody always needs a compliment," Brown said.
"(This one guy), he just wiped out and he was like �Aren't you guys going to say sweet wipeout?'" Westcott said.
In the end, the thing the compliment vendors enjoy the most is lightening the serious mood on campus.
"Somebody always needs a compliment," Brown said. "Knowing we have helped a couple of people's day, makes our day."
Some students find that the Westcott and Brown do make their day.
"Not too many people go out of their way to make people happy," said Rachel Huber, a sophomore in the School of Civil Engineering. "I asked him why he did that, he said something about people deserve to know they look nice then they'll think, �I do,'"
Others find that what Westcott and Brown are doing is a waste of time.
"What a loser, get a life," said Nour Ramadan, a senior in the School of Mechanical Engineering.