Ohio University’s custodial staff who work in the residence halls bear witness to everything that wasn’t cleaned by students in their dorm rooms over the school year. Lisa Dickens is a CW2, also known as a lead custodial worker. Dickens said throughout the summer, they clean thousands of rooms. Some are in excellent condition, while others are in a scary state.
“There’s been no dusting or sweeping or anything for eight or nine months,” Dickens said. “So all that debris is left there. We clean from top to bottom.”
Dickens also said they lack a sufficient number of staff members and residential custodial services, or RSC, and are doing their best with an occasionally smaller staff.
“Normally, we work 40 hours a week,” Dickens said. “One thing I would really like to emphasize on the RCS staff, I would say 75% or more are women and 55 years or older so as we age, we are a little slower.”
While there is a physical aspect to the job, there is an emotional one too. Lisa Williamson is a CW1 who works under the direction of lead custodial workers. She said that as she gets older and her experience as a custodial worker grows, she becomes more attached to students.
“I had one (that) left this year and I bawled,” Williamson said. “I have two students that I’m still in touch with from 18 years ago. One has a child of his own graduating high school … It kind of helps you look forward to (work). You’re doing something for at least someone that cares.”
Kathy Wall is a housekeeper in Treudley Hall and feels that her connections with students changed her perspective of her job on the custodial staff.
“At that point in time, (students) realize we are someone’s grandma, someone’s mom, that we are here doing the job,” Wall said. “And I’ve had a lot of questions over the years that students come and ask – how to use the washer and dryer, how to operate the equipment they’re exposed to. And it’s a good experience to get to know your students.”
There’s an evident difference between living at home and living in a dorm, which may determine how much students know about living independently.
“For say, a window air conditioner, most people don't have that at home,” Dickens said. “So they don’t know how things work. Even sometimes (with) the locks on the doors, they’re confused. It makes you feel good that you were able to explain something to them to make their life a little easier.”
When students take just a few basic steps, they can have an easier experience in residential living spaces and show a greater respect toward the custodial staff who want to take care of them and make their college experience safe and sanitary.
“I think that their mindset is still living at home,” Dickens said. “You’re not doing that any longer. You’re living in a community (with) 40 people so you need to take more responsibility for yourself. Get your hair off of the floor, put your bathroom trash in the trash. They need to flush the commode. Do not put stuff in the commodes or the urinal.”
These are probably hygienic habits taught to students before they come to college, but they aren’t always taken. Flushing the toilet, cleaning hair from shower walls and taking out the trash allow everyone to enjoy their college living situations a lot more. Also, it shows custodial staff that they are respected and appreciated.
Custodial staff also face more serious issues while working in residence halls beyond unpicked trash, hair left on shower walls, and unflushed toilets. Students who vandalize bathrooms and hallways in retaliation to university actions should know they aren’t actually getting back at the people who make the bigger decisions for OU.
“I wish the students would learn that vandalism in the bathrooms and the hallways is just making a mess for their housekeeper to clean up,” Wall said. “It stops with us. They’re exercising their anger. I understand that. But they’re only harming us. They’re not harming the university.”
When students create larger messes in residential halls, custodial staff can’t take care of the work they were initially prepared to do.
“The uncalled for mess that we have to clean up takes away from our daily routine,” Wall said. “If I have a disastrous bathroom, then I’m not going to get my floors swept that day.”
To acknowledge the work and effort custodial staff, especially those working in residence halls, put into their jobs to take care of the well-being of students behind the scenes, Wall has advice:
“Basically, they just need to treat us like we’re people.”