I’ve read a lot of rants in this newspaper about the amount of noise, clutter, and general inconvenience from all the construction going on around campus. I too have muttered under my breath about having to walk out of my way to get around a construction barrier...but I wonder how many of us, when we’re sitting in our nice, air-conditioned classrooms and complaining about all the noise the guys working on the roof are making, even give a thought to how those guys feels up there in 90-plus degree heat, just working hard, trying to keep that roof from crashing in on our heads someday. Probably not that many.
From changing light bulbs, emptying trashcans, and unstopping toilets to digging ditches and laying pipe, and putting new roofs on buildings, the men and women of Facilities Services keep this school running, and we just take them for granted.
There isn’t a fellow on this campus, myself included, who hasn’t experienced poor aim in the bathroom from time to time. (I hope this isn’t an issue for the ladies). We don’t have the wherewithal to wrap a wad of toilet paper around our hand and wipe it up, and, other than those too lazy to even consider that to begin with, it’s probably because there’s evidence another lousy shot was there before us. We just correctly assume someone is going to come along behind us and clean up our filth.
In the wintertime, after a freezing rain, it’s not the salt fairies who come along to clean off the sidewalks and steps so we don’t bruise our buns...or worse. A human being was out there in the freezing cold, breaking his back to keep us from breaking ours.
We need to think about these things the next time we’re griping.
The men and women of Facilities Services provide a clean environment for us around our campus and in our buildings; they keep us cool when it’s hot out and warm when it’s cold; they keep us safe from faulty wiring, busted pipes, and falling plaster.
Is it too much to ask to say thanks? I’m sure they don’t expect it, but I bet they’d appreciate hearing it once in a while instead of a lot of complaining.
© 2007 by J.D. Lewis
college
