When students return to the dorms in the fall, their noses will be hit with the smell of ammonia and lemon as they look around and notice how clean everything is. What they might not realize through their excitement is the long hours and dedication of the custodial staff that made it so.
In the three days prior to move-in, custodians such as David Collis and Sherri Beaty are hard at work scrubbing and dusting residence halls that might not have been lived in all summer.
In Noyer Complex this week, Beaty spent two hours cleaning one room that had not been lived in since students left in May. Beaty has worked at Ball State for 24 years.
"I started out in dining, but then I moved to housing," Beaty said. "I thought it would be interesting."
Interesting it was; Beaty once had to clean human feces out of a shower. Collis, also in Noyer, had a similar encounter with human feces, this time in a drinking fountain.
"For all the rooms, it takes usually about three days, and that's about anywhere from 10 to 12 people cleaning," Collis said. "You've got to move all the furniture, strip all the floors, wax them, and then you've got to furnish them; then you've got to move all the furniture back and clean it - clean all the furniture and the window sills and walls."
Before school starts the pace quickens to finish all of the rooms before students arrive.
"It gets busy because bosses want everything spotless," he said. "I mean they want over the doors, the corners, the stairwells; they're really picky about how clean it is."
During the year, the duties for the cleaning staff become more demanding. On average, the trash, which can sometimes reach as high as the ceiling on every floor, must be emptied a minimum of twice a day, and each floor cleaned once a day. At the end of the year, some students add to the burden.
"They'll leave carpet, TVs, stereos, computers out in the hallways or in the stairwells, and I have to take them out," Collis said. "They're supposed to take them out, but they don't."
But these two do not complain. As Collis thoroughly completes his job, he pauses to reflect on the time he has spent as a Ball State employee.
"There are a bunch of good people here," he said. "And the students are pretty good. I think if you show them that you're trying to keep it clean, they'll work with you."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
