Custodians go above and beyond

Sharon Holtsclaw cleans bathrooms for a living, as she has for 24 years. \nA custodian at Collins Center, Holtsclaw represents one of the reported 130 undergraduate dorm custodians who spend eight hours a day, five days a week cleaning up after students. From the daily sweeping of littered hallways to what she refers to as cleaning a dump in a stairway at Read Center every day for six weeks, Holtsclaw has seen it all. \nAn authority on the art of cleaning, Holtsclaw looks past her often thankless job and sees it as something more than just cleaning bathrooms, sweeping floors and removing trash. To her, being a custodian presents an opportunity to interact with students in a way that's different from anyone else on campus. Holtsclaw sees students at some of their dirtiest, dingiest and sickest, yet she still manages to conjure positive sentiments about them. \n"I enjoy being around the students; they make my job fun," she said. "They are very respectful and appreciative." \nThese statements are music to Steve Akers' ears. Akers, the associate director of environmental operations at Residential Programs and Services, said the custodial staff at IU strives to provide a safe and enjoyable atmosphere for the students. \nHe said he believes the interaction between students and custodians is essential to both groups' well-beings. He also said he thinks custodians are resources students ought to use to their advantage. \n"We try to educate (custodians) on a student's needs on a daily basis," Akers said. "They are also resources to Bloomington and the campus." \nThose sentiments are shared by Indiana Memorial Union custodial manager Roy Robertson, who is responsible for the 22 appointed custodial staff members, as well as four to six hourly-paid student and non-student workers at the IMU. \nRobertson believes students should have no reservations about approaching his staff for any reason. \n"Most of my staff would be right at your service," Robertson said. "Students rely on the custodial staff. I don't think any student should be afraid to ask one of my staff a question or directions, and they often do." \nBeyond what most people think when they think of a custodian, Akers recognizes the numerous roles the custodians take on.\n"They often think of themselves as a surrogate parent, a brother or sister," Akers said. \nHe also reminds people of ways custodians go beyond their job description. \n"(Resident assistants) and custodians have a very good rapport. If there is a student in distress, a custodian won't hesitate to let a supervisor know," Akers said. \nHe believes custodians sometimes see things even the RA doesn't. \n"They aren't here to spy," Akers said, "but they can respond to the needs of students in ways others can't."\nWith the ever-changing roles custodians seem to play in the lives of students, some feel custodians are under-appreciated for all the work they do. \nShannon Bontrager, a freshman living in Forest Quad, is irritated by the lack of respect paid to janitors. \n"The girls on my floor have no regard to cleanliness and just take them for granted," Bontrager said. "They should put themselves in the shoes of the people who clean up after them because they wouldn't be so dirty if they knew they had to clean it up." \nRobertson agrees. \n"It's a side note to most people," he said.\nRobertson said he thinks many people also take for granted how knowledgeable custodians actually are. Most of his staff know the pH scale, could repair tools if necessary and understand the gravity of fluids they are dealing with, among other things. \n"They know a lot more than taking a broom and pushing it along a floor," Robertson said. \nWhile many students may not realize how much custodians actually know or appreciate who cleans up after them, those same students are the reason Robertson and Akers' staff have jobs. \n"With any operation, sometimes as a facility you could get a lot more done without the customer around," said Robertson. "But you need the customer." \nHe, like Akers, says that despite what students may believe, most of his staff enjoys having them around. \n"We have a nice break in the summer where there are very few students, but most custodians seem eager for the students to come back, to excite things a little more," Robertson said.\n-- Contact staff writer Anthony Catalino at acatalin@indiana.edu .