Custodians go unnoticed in services
They are the unsung heroes, and in my opinion, some of the most important people in this school.
Most of us do not ever get the chance to meet them or have a conversation with them. We only wake up in the morning or come home from class to be surrounded by the overlooked jobs that they do. I am talking about the custodians; the group of dedicated men and women that see the worst sides of college students and continue to face them with a smile every day.
I suppose this serves as a "thank you" to all of those custodians that I have been fortunate enough to come into contact with and those I have not.
Living in Campisi last year, I got my first taste of college life and communal bathrooms. I got the chance to meet Martha and Ruben, the custodians who were in charge of Campisi. I have to tell you that these two individuals were so fantastic in putting up with situations that no human should have to deal with. I can't even begin to imagine what the custodians in Swig were forced to do.
Martha and Ruben were so friendly and helpful throughout the year, even when they had to clean up vomit in the bathroom, stairwells and who knows where else. I distinctively remember how every time I saw them they would say hello, but if I were coming out of the bathroom in my towel or bathrobe, Ruben would always put his head down to make sure I did not feel uncomfortable. I only wish that guys my age were as respectful!
Have you ever stopped to think about the grotesque catastrophes that go on in your dorm, what about the constant urine in the elevators and stairwells of Swig and Dunne? Who do you think cleans that up?
It may seem funny when you hear about it, but would you want to clean up some punk college students' urine simply because they were too drunk and immature to find the bathrooms? It is people like Martha and Ruben who are forced to clean up after our drunken, completely uncalled-for messes.
This year I was pleased to see that Martha had been assigned to Dunne, but unfortunately Ruben met the horrific fate of being assigned to Swig. Wherever you are Ruben, I wish you the best of luck! Everyday I walk out of my room and see the smiling face of Martha, who does not complain about cleaning out hair-clogged drains or unsanitary bathrooms. I hope she and all of the other custodians know how much we appreciate them and that most of us do realize that, without them, it would be humanly impossible to live in the dorms.
It seems as if we use these individuals to take the place of our parents. Astonishingly, our trash continues to disappear and our bathrooms are still cleaned up. Did you think that your parents would be proud to see how well you've learned to pick up after yourself? Well,you're wrong. It's the tiring work of the dedicated staff that keeps you sanitary.
Next time you come home completely trashed and decide that it would be awesome to relieve yourself in the elevator, please try and think about the people who will have to clean it up. You wouldn't want to wipe up your own urine, so what makes you think that it wouldn't bother someone else?
Just because someone is a custodian does not mean that they are not affected by cleaning up after others. Try to have some respect for those wonderful people who come back day after day to pick up our messes, our surrogate mothers and fathers!