Who’s Keeping IT CLEAN? Who’s Keeping IT CLEAN?

Conversations with the people who keep our campus clean.

BY ABREANNA BLOSE PHOTOS BY JACOB DURBIN DESIGN BY ELLIE SABATINO

Hair in the drains, soggy food clogging the sinks, a broken window and overflowing trashcans — a day in the life of custodial and maintenance staff at Ohio University who are arguably overwhelmed, overworked and underpaid.

Ohio University is known for a beautiful, historical, and clean campus. Behind this status are staff members who we often take for granted. These hardworking people clean up after everyone and try to keep the campus and its amenities as pristine as possible. This is no easy feat.

Ann Richards is a custodial worker who spends most of her time on South Green. Along with her 27 years working at the university, Richards is a loving mother, grandmother and the president of the Trimble Local Schools’ Red and Grey Booster Club.

In Hoover House, Richards and other custodial staff are responsible for maintaining care of the basement, all four floors, the bathrooms and the hallways. From fixing blinds to cleaning mold, the staff also works to resolve maintenance requests within the building. Despite the heavy workload, Richards loves her job and interacting with students.

“They’re the ones we are working for. We want to take care of them,” she says.

Mary Robinette is a custodial worker in Baker Center, a large building full of responsibilities. Robinette has been working with the university for 25 years. During her time off, she takes care of her four adopted dogs and spends time with her husband and mother.

In Baker Center, Robinette’s day-to-day tasks include cleaning the bathrooms, refilling paper towels and toilet paper and straightening common areas. Robinette does whatever she can to keep the building intact during her shift.

“Don’t think you have anything to do? Look up because there’s always something on the ceiling,” Robinette says. If there are students passing through, there is always work to do.

In 2020, after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the university’s custodial and maintenance staff was laid off. Staffing levels are only about half of what they used to be. This creates more work for those still employed at the university.

Even those who had been working at the university for over a decade were under fire due to the pandemic. Richards explains that people who worked at OU with 15 years of experience or less feared losing their job.

“15 years is a lot of time to put in somewhere to have your job abolished,” Richards says. “We don’t have a lot of options to fall back on. If I lost my job, I don’t know what I would do.”

Now, nearly three years since staff members were let go, many jobs have yet to be restored and workers like Richards and Robinette are paying the price.

“I feel like we are getting more responsibilities shoved on us because we are so short in every department,” Richards says.

Ted Linscott, president of the Southeastern Ohio AFL-CIO Council, explains that staffing levels used to be adequate. Prepandemic, one person was set to clean one floor. Now, that same person is busy cleaning the entire building.

Robinette explains that between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. there are only three staff members responsible for maintaining Baker center before it opens to students again.

This has proven to be an issue for those working to keep the building clean and functional. “We are truly understaffed,” Robinette says. “I don’t feel we have been treated the way we should have been treated.”

While OU has yet to restore essential jobs on campus, they have also failed to provide current staff with the necessary equipment and supplies, making the lives of the maintenance staff even more difficult.

For example, on South Green, Richards explains the staff shares one carpet cleaner among approximately 10 buildings, making it a hassle to complete simple tasks.

Linscott suggests showing support by getting involved in local rallies and having conversations with workers at OU. As a part of this process, he suggests becoming educated on the function of unions.

According to the OU website, “The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 1699 bargaining unit represents approximately 500 Ohio University employees.” This means support for unions and officials, like Linscott, is essential to understanding current staffing conditions and improving the situation at hand.

“We need help. We need support. Even if you are not a cardcarrying union member, that doesn’t mean you can’t support unions and understand their importance,” Linscott says.

He also suggests using the power of voice to speak up against mistreatment explaining, “An injustice to one is an injustice to all.” If the community can work together to fight this issue, maintenance employees may experience better working conditions in the future.

The ways students choose to function on campus can also impact staff members. Every custodial and maintenance worker interviewed had countless stories of students disregarding the fact that there are other people cleaning up after them.

In Wray House, a student took paint and let it drip all over the steps, handrails, landings and smeared it on the wall, creating an unnecessary mess for staff.

In Ewing, one of the custodial workers found themselves cleaning up a pile of fecal matter from the floor of the men’s bathroom, which is not only a health and safety concern for the staff picking up after students, but it is also objectively disrespectful.

Despite some of their behavior, students are the reason Robinette stays motivated to work.

“Every once in a while, you get a butthead, but the kids are pretty good,” Robinette says. Sometimes students need to be reminded to clean up after themselves, but Robinette has no problem guiding them to a trashcan.

“The students just look at us as part of the background … Be a little bit more responsible,” Richards says. “We are not your maid, we’re housekeepers.”

She also details the respect students owe each other by saying, “Don’t leave the bathroom in any way you wouldn’t want to find it.” Students should be mindful of the fact that they are existing in a community.

The overarching theme is clear- treat others with kindness and respect. As staff on campus face the lasting impacts of COVID-19, it is essential to realize that OU is beautiful because of those working hard to make it that way.

Linscott describes the University as a big puzzle. “There’s a lot of pieces and you just can’t let one piece drop… you gotta keep them all going.” Linscott says. It is up to the community to help put all the pieces back together. Co-existing is key to campus care.b