A USD student recounts working in a world without Walt

For one University of South Dakota student, working at Walt Disney World for more than five years was not as magical as Mickey Mouse made it seem.

As appealing as Cinderella’s massive fortress and Aladdin’s magic carpet rides may look to the average visitor, the Disney employees working the attractions are not as entranced with the “world where fairy tales come to life.”

Junior Todd Stephens, 30, made the decision to travel to Florida from USD to work for Disney through a student program. Starting as a presenter in Animal Kingdom, Stephens dealt with unruly gorillas, and even unrulier guests.

“We had a group of bachelor gorillas, and they could be a bit aggressive, especially with noisy visitors,” Stephens said. “I warned this one group to be quiet, but they didn’t listen. The next thing you know, they were covered in gorilla poop and we had to comp their clothes.”

Seven months and one scat-tastrophe later, Stephens went back to Spirit Lake, S.D., where his family settled after his father, Harold, retired from the army. But Stephens found himself back in Orlando, working five more years for Disney.

Even as he made new friends down South, Stephens said that to Disney management, he was just another number.

“It was very clear to employees that Florida was a right-to-work state, and we did not have the option to look at contract negotiations or to be part of a union,” Stephens said. “The president of EPCOT even said to us that if we didn’t like it here, they could get monkeys to do our jobs.
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The Disney disappointments continued. Even after he mentioned his allergy to animal dander in a formal written assignment sheet, he was sent to work at  Animal Kingdom.

When he originally came down to work in Orlando, Stephens was also given the impression that he would be able to continue his education with Disney’s assistance, but this again, ended in disappointment.

Stephens said he just had enough, and because he wanted to pursue a college degree, he moved back to South Dakota. Now, pursing a degree in contemporary media and journalism at USD, Stephens pays for school by working the graveyard shift at Walmart in customer service, a job he said he enjoys.

“I like talking to people; I like helping people,” he said. “Even when that means calling them a cab at 2 a.m.”

Even in an interview, Stephens light-hearted manner shines through. With spiky hair and a smile engraved on his face, he chuckles deep in his chest as he describes a few of the famous faces he met while at Disney World.

“My favorite was Robin Williams,” Stephens said. “I learned two things about him when he came into the store; He is incredibly short and super hairy. You could seriously braid the hair on his arm.”

Stephens also dished on the worst celebrity he’s encountered, which could come as a surprise to Disney Channel viewers.

“Raven Symone had an awful attitude,” he said. “She came up to check out merchandise with her posse all around her, and this little girl came up to her and asked for an autograph. She grabbed it, signed it and pushed it back into the girl’s arms without saying a word.”

Sidestepping Symone’s snobby attitude to the fan base that made her a household name, Stephens said while his experience at Disney might not have always been the best, at least he has some great stories to tell.

In the middle of his junior year at USD, he hopes to pursue electronic media, and has plans to head out to Seattle, Wash. next year to pursue job opportunities. But he said he is not going back to work with Mickey and the gang any time soon.