Thank you for keeping the university clean and us safe!

Day and night there are people hard at work to keep our school clean. Whether it be cleaning the bathrooms or the tables we eat, our custodians work every day to maintain a safe environment. 

Emma Gonzalez, a custodian working at the student center for over two years says she enjoys her job. Her daily routine consists of clocking in at 1 p.m. and cleaning all around the Student Center. Then, she goes into the offices to vacuum and wipe everything down. She said, “I like what I do, I enjoy seeing the students study and laugh.” Gonzalez has always had the same routine over the years but once the pandemic started, everything changed.

Now, she has to deep clean more. She thoroughly wipes things down every hour and makes sure there are wipes and hand sanitizers stocked everywhere in the building. She said the students are very clean overall, but it’s always helpful for students to pick up their food after they’re done eating. 

Kathy Georgia, a custodian supervisor, has her own specific building at the school. She not only cleans but supervises other custodians. As of now, she and Emma Gonzales are the only night shift workers. She has dedicated herself to this school for nearly ten years and plans to retire next year to pursue her passion for crafting shows.

“My job comes with a lot of benefits, insurance, and time off but what I like the most is that our group is like family.” – Kathy Georgia

She said, “We help each other out in everything we need and that’s what I’ll miss the most.” Ever since COVID-19 began, it’s been hard to hire more workers, making it difficult for them to complete their jobs at times. “We try to keep everyone safe by giving them what they need.” They recommend that if a student spills a drink or accidentally drops something on the floor that needs further cleaning to let them know so they can avoid any accidents.

Rick Giesegh is another custodian who has worked at the University for over five years. He considers his job to come with many benefits but his favorite benefit is meeting new people. He clocks in at 7 a.m. every morning. The first thing he does is prepare and fog the bathrooms with anti-bacterial spray. He later focuses on picking up all the trash in the offices and outside the student center. 

It’s always important to know the people who help maintain our campus. Even though we know it’s their job, it’s always good to appreciate the people who help us. Aside from thanking them for everything they do, we can always help them by putting our trash where it goes, picking up after ourselves, and leaving things where they belong. 

Here’s the link to the custodians who work on your campus, so you can thank them for everything they do.