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MARQUETTE Behind the scenes with Marquette’s third-shift custodians It’s common knowledge that the busiest people get the most done. A similar version of that saying is true on Marquette’s campus — the people who sleep the least get the most done. “A lot of people don’t realize that Marquette doesn’t shut down at night or on the weekends,” said Bob Pach, service manager in Facilities Services, who co-manages Marquette’s 45-person, third-shift custodial staff with Cheryl Haskey, service manager. “We’re walking in for a full night of work after everyone else has left.” Sunday through Thursday nights, Pach’s day begins at 9:30 p.m. when he arrives on campus. He first checks in with the second-shift maintenance mechanic to determine if there are any immediate custodial needs or maintenance situations that need monitoring during the night. Next, Pach walks through each of the buildings he oversees to touch base with his crew and discuss future events and planned projects. As he approaches each building, he can tell which members of his staff are working by the type of music being played. Jennifer Smith, custodian II in the Alumni Memorial Union, prefers to listen to her iPod as she works each night from 11:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. Smith has been a part of Marquette’s third-shift custodial crew for six months, and says cleaning is a seven-and-a-half-hour workout because of the sheer amount of space covered each night. “If you see it, we clean it,” she said. When she isn’t trying to catch up on sleep, Smith can often be found studying to complete her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. Most semesters she takes an 8 a.m. class, which helps her feel connected to the rest of the campus community. One of Smith’s favorite things about her job is her coworkers, because Marquette “feels like a family.” Another member of the third-shift staff, Randy Kasten, custodian II in the Al McGuire Center, echoed that sentiment, adding that the
Photo by Kevin Pauly
By Lynn Sheka
While the rest of campus sleeps, Jennifer Smith, a third-shift custodian, prepares Lalumiere Language Hall for another day of academic endeavors.
shared experiences of working in darkness and the constant lack of sleep help bring the thirdshift crew together. Although he jokes that everyone working the third shift invests in Mountain Dew and coffee, Kasten is proud of the work he does each night. “Marquette is a small-city university known throughout the country. There’s a level of prestige when I tell people I work here,” Kasten said. “The buildings we’re working in are beautiful and people from all over the country come to visit them. We feel good knowing we’re a part of their Marquette experience.” The work Pach and his team do is closely tied to faculty, staff and students’ daily Marquette experiences, because after midnight, the thirdshift custodial crew is responsible for all custo-
dial and maintenance situations on campus. The Department of Public Safety calls an emergency phone Pach carries with him during his shifts to alert him to anything that needs to be handled immediately. “In my 12 years as a third-shift manager, I’ve seen my share of e mergencies, from overflowing toilets to malfunctioning elevators to 400 gallons of water flooding the lobby in Abbottsford Hall,” he said. One of Pach’s most memorable days on the job happened during the major Midwestern blizzard last February. Although the university was closed, he and the rest of the third-shift custodial staff reported to work before the heaviest snow hit. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 4
CAM PU S H A P P E N I N GS Biological Sciences Seminar Series continues in March The Department of Biological Sciences will host a seminar titled, “Determining the Environmental Impact of Nanomaterials,” given by Dr. Rebecca Klaper, associate professor of freshwater sciences at the University of Wisconsin– Milwaukee, on Friday, March 23, at 3:30 p.m. in Wehr Life Sciences, 111. The series will continue with a lecture titled, “GABAB Modulation of L-type Calcium Channels: Our ‘Current’ Understanding,” given by Dr. Michelle Mynlieff, associate professor of biological sciences, on Friday, March 30, at 3:30 p.m. in Wehr Life Sciences, 111. Contact the Department of Biological Sciences at 8-7355 for more information.
Next Law School Poll will be discussed March 27 The results of the third Marquette Law School Poll will be the topic of “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” Wednesday, March 27, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in Eckstein Hall. Released monthly throughout the year, the Marquette Law School Poll provides a comprehensive, independent survey of voter attitudes in Wisconsin during this historic election year. The polling initiative is led by Charles
Franklin, visiting professor of law and public policy, and a nationally recognized expert in polling and voter analysis. Other faculty in the Law School and across campus will also provide context and analysis throughout the year.
Higher education finance expert to deliver Marburg Lecture Dr. Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Irving M. Ives Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Economics at Cornell University, will deliver the annual Marburg Memorial Lecture Wednesday, March 21, at 4 p.m. in Raynor Memorial Libraries’ Beaumier Suites. An expert in the economics of higher education, Ehrenberg has served as a consultant to faculty, administration and trustees at a number of universities on issues relating to tuition and financial aid policies, as well as other budgetary and planning issues. In 2002, he wrote Tuition Rising, an examination of the American higher education system. The Marburg Lecture is named in honor of the late Theodore F. Marburg, a long-time member of Marquette’s Department of Economics, and provides a forum for the discussion of moral, philosophical and social dimensions of economic issues.