Tom McCammon leads his team to keep campus beautiful

As he drives around in his truck, a sense of accomplishment comes easily for Tom McCammon. He can see the results of his labor all around him: grassy fields free of trash, trimmed bushes and trees, steps and bridges safe for walking.

Some weeks, McCammon spends more than 50 hours making the center of IU’s campus beautiful and safe. And he doesn’t mind.

“I love my job,” McCammon said. “I love being outdoors, and I love a challenge. And this here is a challenge.”


A rise in the ranks

McCammon was hired as an hourly worker on Ballantine crew in 2009.

Ballantine crew, a team of the Physical Plant’s Campus Division, is responsible for the maintenance and landscaping of the center of campus grounds.

It didn’t bother McCammon that the job was supposed to last only 15 weeks; he was 57 and already retired at the time.

“But at the end of my 15 weeks, they said, ‘You’re not going anywhere. We need you,’” McCammon said. “Then, when the supervisor position opened up, they told me to apply.”

McCammon said he did not think he had a shot at the position. After all, his only formal education was the GED he earned in the Army.

“His work ethic was so good, and his ability to mobilize people was so good that he got the position,” said Mike Girvin, manager of Campus Division.

Girvin said since McCammon was hired as general supervisor of Ballantine crew, he knows he can rely on McCammon and his team to care for the most noticeable area on campus.

“We’re charged with a job that can be dirty, messy and challenging,” Girvin said. “We have to be productive all the time.”

A daunting task

McCammon and his crew arrive on campus at 7 a.m. Their first job is always trash.

McCammon assigns men to remove trash from the ground, empty trash cans and clear informational kiosks of loose fliers.

Cleaning trash alone can take up to three hours.

“I take trash very seriously,” McCammon said. “You can have gorgeous landscaping, but if there’s trash, it’s all for nothing.”

Other large jobs are seasonal, like dealing with leaves, snow or weeds.

Along with the challenge of weather, being responsible for the center of campus comes with another time-consuming difficulty: The area is constantly busy.

When McCammon blows leaves off a sidewalk or drives to his next work site, he is constantly pausing his work to wait for students to pass.

“That’s just the way this job is,” he said. “You have to be flexible, and you have to be patient. There’s no use getting frustrated.”

A working supervisor

McCammon might be the boss, but he is hardly the type that sits back and gives orders.

He spends the majority of his time working alongside his crew.

“That’s why Tom’s a good boss,” said Steve Bush, a member of Ballantine crew. “He’s a fair boss. He’s got an eye for what needs done.”

McCammon said he tries to set an example of what he expects from his workers.

“I like taking breaks like everybody else,” McCammon said. “But when I’m looking at a job, I’m not going to sit there and look at it. I’m going to get in there and get it done.”

McCammon said his crew follows suit.

“When I ask them to do something, I don’t run around and bird-dog check them,” he said. “They do it.”

Although McCammon and his crew put in eight to 10 hours of work each day, he sometimes feels it’s not enough.

He said he once got into trouble with his union for coming in early and working off the clock.

“That’s just my own contribution,” McCammon said. “Whatever it takes to get the job done.”

McCammon hopes Ballantine crew’s work to keep the campus safe and beautiful betters the lives of IU students.

“One of these days, you’re going to look back when you’re married and got a dozen kids and say, ‘Man, I really enjoyed my time at IU. It was a beautiful campus,’” McCammon said. “That’s my goal. That’s what I want for the students.”