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Tom McCammon leads his team to keep campus beautiful

(11/01/11 1:32am)

____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>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 ranksMcCammon 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 taskMcCammon 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 supervisorMcCammon 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.”

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2011/11/tom-mccammon-leads-his-team-to-keep-campus-beautiful

Student wins big on game show

(10/12/11 2:29am)

____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Emily Fergason had waited her entire life to hear those three words: “Wheel! Of! Fortune!”Fergason, a senior and lifelong fan of the show, won on the Oct. 7 episode of “Wheel of Fortune.” She won more than $31,000 in cash and prizes, including a trip to the Canadian Rockies.“It was a totally surreal experience,” said Fergason. “I still can hardly believe it.”In Fergason’s childhood, “Wheel of Fortune” was a family tradition. She frequently watched the show with her grandparents, who are now passed.Fergason said that’s why her mom was the most excited about her appearance on the show.“It meant the world to me that Emily got to be on wheel,” Fergason’s mother, Mary, said. “She’s so good at figuring out those puzzles.”Fergason said she doesn’t remember signing up for the show, but figures she must have done it years ago. “I got an email last fall asking me to come to an audition in Indianapolis,” Fergason said. At the audition, Fergason was one of 15 contestants chosen from the pool of more than 200 people. Her episode was filmed Aug. 18 in Los Angeles. “Pulling up to Sony Pictures Studios was like pulling up to the White House,” Fergason said. “It was huge.”Although Fergason’s on-camera experience as host of WTIU’s “The Friday Zone” deterred her nerves, she was far from relaxed while she waited for the show to start.“I’m the most competitive person you’ll ever meet,” Fergason said. “I was so geared up to play.”Fergason’s competitiveness was fruitful; she won $18,800 in cash and a trip to Canada, which she plans to take with her twin brother. As for the money, Fergason said she will invest nearly all of it in the stock market.“If anything, I’ll buy a Louis Vuitton bag from LA,” she said. “But I’m going to save the rest.”Fergason said while she felt almost numb to the experience that day, she enjoyed telling her friends and family about it.Her friends had a watch party when the show aired on WFIU. “A lot of people were pretty shocked to see how well she did,” said senior Jennifer Goelz, Fergason’s friend. “Not many people could believe she had won $31,000.”Now that the show has aired, Fergason has to return to normal life as a student. “I need to move on with my life now,” Fergason said. “But it sure will be a cool thing to use when I have to tell a fun fact about myself.”

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2011/10/student-wins-big-on-game-show

Big band brings swing

(10/10/11 1:11am)

____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Friday was their first time at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, but Pat and Mike Gleeson have loved dancing since their wedding night 44 years ago. The studio had the Stardusters Swing Band’s “Let’s Dance” party Friday, and the Gleesons attended as part of their dancing routine.“When we were first married, we discovered what fun it is to dance,” said Mike Gleeson. “It’s just a blast.”The Gleesons said they go dancing at least twice each month. For them, dancing is more than just a hobby; it’s a family tradition.“My parents used to go to a dance club,” said Pat Gleeson. “We dance, and all four of our children dance.” As the pair moved around the dark wood dance floor, they swayed in motion with the big band music played by the Stardusters Swing Band. The Bloomington-based band used to play a monthly dance party at the Waldron Arts Center but discontinued it when Ivy Tech Community College bought the center. Barbara Leininger, owner of the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, said she sees dance change lives every day. “For adults living in a college town, this is a great place to come and feel comfortable socializing,” Leininger said. “We’ve even had couples meet here and eventually get married.”     Wayne Heidler, a resident of Spencer, Ind., is a testament to Leininger’s theory.  He started dance lessons at Arthur Murray’s two years ago.“Now I dance six days per week,” Heidler said. “I have a blast. I meet great people, and I have lost two inches around my waste.”While Heidler danced with other students and instructors from the studio, the Gleesons watched from a round black table in the corner of the dance floor.Here, they reminisced about the role dancing has played in their lives.“My mother was from a family of 10,” said Pat Gleeson. “For entertainment, they used to play piano, roll up the carpet and dance on the floor. People just don’t do those things anymore. They watch movies.”Jerry Jerome, owner of the Stardusters Swing Band, said he loves seeing people like the Gleesons truly appreciate the band’s music.“When someone comes up to give you a compliment about the music, that’s a good feeling,” Jerome said. “We love what we do.”Jerome said he hopes the Stardusters can reinstate their monthly dance party at the studio.       If they do, the Gleesons will be there, staying true to Pat’s one rule about dancing:“I just try to not step on his toes, and he tries not to step on mine.”

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2011/10/big-band-brings-swing
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