On the corner of Lincoln Way and Sheldon Avenue, just off campus, an anomaly existed. It was one of the first things I noticed upon moving into the neighborhood: The Taco Bell, or rather its employees, were the exception to a rule. If you’re an American, you’re doubtless no stranger to fast food chains, and you’ve likely noticed that the people who work in such places tend to hate their lives conspicuously. The opposite was true of the employees of the Lincoln Way Taco Bell.

When I stopped in prior to the dinner rush Nov. 18, as per usual, the workers were enjoying each other’s company. One young man, younger than myself, had brought in his infant — 7 pounds, 2 ounces — and everyone on shift was huddled around, fawning warmly over the child. You can understand, then, that when one of the long-time workers told me the employees at this Taco Bell were like a family, I believed him.

It was not apparent on the surface that in three days, this family would be torn asunder — that Nov. 21, they would all be laid off. Every one of them. Right before Thanksgiving. With two weeks notice.

Taco Bell is to be relocated to Duff Avenue and reopened this summer. When the powers that be informed the Lincoln Way workers Nov. 7 that their employment would be truncated, only token consolation was offered. If the employees agreed to “stick it out” for the last two weeks of Cyclone football in Ames, they would be paid an additional $75 on their final paychecks. The workers were offered Taco Bell jobs in Des Moines, though few of them own cars. They were told unemployment claims would not be fought.

I want to know why they weren’t told they’d be going into the holiday season unemployed until the season was upon them. After all, the decision to close down a franchise location and procure a new one isn’t made in haste; it must have been known for months that the Lincoln Way Taco Bell would be shut down Nov. 21, the day of the last ISU home game.

Here’s a theory: The franchise owner, wanting to maximize profits for the remainder of the store’s operation on Lincoln Way, needed the Taco Bell to be fully staffed right up until the end. Had the employees been given enough time to find new jobs before their current one ceased to exist, this would not be possible, as they would quit Taco Bell once they were hired elsewhere.

Slight reflection indicates that something very scummy was done to the former employees of Taco Bell on Lincoln Way in the name of short-term profits. Still, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t mistaken before I wrote this, so I found Taco Bell’s District Manager on Nov. 19 to set the record straight. When I brought up the subject of the employees being laid off, he refused to speak with me. I then contacted the corporate offices of Taco Bell. They also refused to comment. Perhaps they share my belief that their short-notice holiday season lay-off is insensitive, inhuman and indefensible.