The Rocket

Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Andrew Donofrio Lisa Scott of Washington Township vacuums a corridor in Harner Hall. Vacuuming halls and entrance ways is one of the many duties that custodians perform in order to keep campus buildings clean and presentable. [Click to enlarge]

When thinking of dirty jobs, custodial work may be one occupation that comes to mind.

The endless cleaning of campus residence halls and buildings and the constant trash collecting that occurs are just two of the many things that need to be done in order to keep SRU's campus in order.

Director of Campus Services Mike Kukawa manages the labor, grounds and custodial services on campus, among other things.

Kukawa said there are eight custodians that work a seven-day rotation schedule in residence halls A, B, Watson and D.

"During the school year, they clean common areas, halls, entrances, bathrooms, offices, meeting areas and lounges," Kukawa said.

Kukawa said they are also responsible for cleaning outside areas up to 15 feet from entrances, including removing snow from those areas when necessary.

"The older dorms are cleaned by a contractor, and the contract is administered under Residence Life," Kukawa said.

As for trash collecting, Kukawa said there are two employees who are in charge of driving the trash truck and picking up trash at all of the buildings on a daily basis.

Additionally, there are several employees who are also responsible for emptying trash cans and picking up litter outside campus buildings.

Even when school isn't in session, the cleaning doesn't stop.

"During the summers, the staff deep-cleans each student living space before camps begin and after camps end," Kukawa said.

But these duties typically don't create the worst messes for the custodial staff.

A general consensus among custodians is that vomit, snow shoveling and trash removal are the worst aspects of their jobs, and perhaps also the dirtiest.

Continued...

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