Visualize waking up at four in the morning every day to clean bathrooms, dorm lounges and classrooms. It’s a necessary job that many don’t have the gumption for. Luckily, our housekeeping staff does.

“To do housekeeping, you have to have a certain amount of fortitude,” said Director of Environmental Services Gerald Little. “Not everyone can do it.”

Though early mornings might seem unbearable, some staff members see early rising as just a circumstance that takes some adjusting to.

“It is not easy to adjust your body to work way before the sun comes up,” said Housekeeper Adrianna Tralongo. “To get eight hours of sleep, I have to go to bed at 7 p.m., and that can be hard to do.”

However, this hard work does not go unnoticed.

“I think that what they do is very valuable,” said Little. “Without housekeeping, the campus would not be as prosperous.”

Most of the housekeeping staff enjoys interacting with coworkers and students.

“Working in Dana, I enjoy interacting with the students throughout the course of a day,” said Housekeeper Eionshafae Coppedge.  “I like interacting with my coworkers as well. It is an upside to the job.”

Throughout the year, many students take notice of the efforts of the housekeeping staff and believe that these staff members are worthy of admiration.

“Housekeeping is really what keeps the campus going,” said senior Neisha Washington. “Housekeepers do the grunt work. If it weren’t for housekeeping, the campus would not look as nice.”

“Without (housekeepers), dorms would get extremely gross quickly,” said sophomore Will Koppenhaver. “It is nice to have them because they keep bathrooms clean, and that is important to me because I hate showering in an unsanitary place.”

“I think (housekeepers) are very important because of what they offer us,” said Richardson. “They allow us to have a clean lifestyle and a more sanitary living space.”

As a residential advisor, junior Morgan Myers has a special respect for the housekeeping staff.

“There would be trash from students left everywhere (without them),” said Myers. “We are not going to clean up after ourselves, unfortunately.”

Junior Ryan Phillips believes that the housekeeping staff does not receive as much gratitude as they deserve.

“I feel like (the housekeepers) are irreplaceable,” said Phillips. “They often do not get enough credit for what they do or deal with.”

At the end of the day, gratification is not the most important thing to our housekeeping staff — it is doing their jobs to the best of their abilities and making the campus a better place.

“It makes my day when I can make someone else’s day,” said Floor Technician and Housekeeper Andre Fitzhugh.