2008 Woodie Awards
Custodians Wanted
Facilities Manager Tom Lopez runs a tight ship with a small crew.
Claudia Lozano
Issue date: 11/24/04 Section: News
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Toilet stalls on campus outnumber the total amount of custodial positions. The key difference - all the stalls get occupied.
Valley College is short four custodians after four others quit in June, leaving the remaining 13 custodians to pick up the slack.
"The bathrooms are pretty dirty in the art building," said art history major Sofia Mas. Visual arts major Nicholas Viola couldn't be paid enough to go into a bathroom on campus because "they are so stinky."
Ideally, Facilities Manager Tom Lopez would like 21 full-time custodians, but he will settle for 17. Four custodians have been approved for employment and two are already working.
With the work orders piling up, restrooms understocked, and unsanitary conditions prevailing in common areas, Lopez is feeling the stress.
"We can do a good job [cleaning the campus] but we need resources," said Lopez. "If we don't get resources, we're not going to have a fighting chance to keep these buildings up and complaints will increase."
The problem started in June when four custodians quit because of schedule changes and C-shift - 1:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. - was cancelled, according to Lopez.
Though the custodians quit several months ago, Lopez said the rehiring process is lengthy.
"I first submitted the request in August, then it had to be reviewed, and finally I waited for an answer and didn't hear back until September when the school started, making it difficult to work around classes," said Lopez.
The early morning A-shift crew has two hours to clean restrooms and classrooms before students begin class at 8 a.m. A-shift custodians aren't only responsible for completing their cleaning assignments; each custodian must also tend to his individual tasks from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Lopez said having more people on staff would increase productivity in labor, especially since supervisors have now been filling in for custodians in their departments.
He plans to design a new routine of work that will allow supervisors to make their rounds again and to make sure assignments are completed.
Valley College is short four custodians after four others quit in June, leaving the remaining 13 custodians to pick up the slack.
"The bathrooms are pretty dirty in the art building," said art history major Sofia Mas. Visual arts major Nicholas Viola couldn't be paid enough to go into a bathroom on campus because "they are so stinky."
Ideally, Facilities Manager Tom Lopez would like 21 full-time custodians, but he will settle for 17. Four custodians have been approved for employment and two are already working.
With the work orders piling up, restrooms understocked, and unsanitary conditions prevailing in common areas, Lopez is feeling the stress.
"We can do a good job [cleaning the campus] but we need resources," said Lopez. "If we don't get resources, we're not going to have a fighting chance to keep these buildings up and complaints will increase."
The problem started in June when four custodians quit because of schedule changes and C-shift - 1:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. - was cancelled, according to Lopez.
Though the custodians quit several months ago, Lopez said the rehiring process is lengthy.
"I first submitted the request in August, then it had to be reviewed, and finally I waited for an answer and didn't hear back until September when the school started, making it difficult to work around classes," said Lopez.
The early morning A-shift crew has two hours to clean restrooms and classrooms before students begin class at 8 a.m. A-shift custodians aren't only responsible for completing their cleaning assignments; each custodian must also tend to his individual tasks from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Lopez said having more people on staff would increase productivity in labor, especially since supervisors have now been filling in for custodians in their departments.
He plans to design a new routine of work that will allow supervisors to make their rounds again and to make sure assignments are completed.
