5 Sep 2008

Almost every morning as I come in to our building, I see Tony Solis, lugging an old vacuum in one hand and a trash bin in the other. I don't know much about Tony except that he's one of the most industrious people I know. If there was a Spurs a game the previous night, he will make sure I knew about it. If the Spurs lost, he'll say that he expects great things from the Cowboys. Without fail he'll ask if I need trash bags or if our office needs sweeping. He then goes about his day, a long day that has replayed for the last 19 years he has been with the HSC.

Day and night. Upstairs and downstairs. Here, there, and everywhere. You see them everyday. Their sky blue tops blending in with the navy. The 152-men-and-women-strong of Facilities Management's Custodial Services Division are committed to maintaining the school's public areas "clean, comfortable, safe, and pleasing to the eye", reflecting greatly the professional image of the HSC. Yes, it's dirty work, often times unappreciated work, but thanks to all of them, we don't have to do it.

Early in the morning     Tony Solis cleans an office in FM

September 14-20 has been designated as "International Housekeepers Week" (IHW) by the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA). Since 1981, IEHA has set aside a week per year to acknowledge the hardworking housekeepers around the world who are committed to maintaining a healthier, safer, and cleaner living and working environment. IHW aims to bring attention and to recognize the professional housekeepers working in schools, hospitals, state facilities, hotels and many others. Because their work goes largely overlooked, the IHW hopes to give the HSC - its students, members of staff, faculty - a short time to acknowledge the work of our building attendants, housekeepers, and movers.

We do windows       Manuel Rendon and Raul Samarripas wash   Briscoe Library windows

"I have enjoyed being part of the University family and participate in the growth of our campus over the years", says Robert Ross, Assistant Director of Facilities Management for Custodial Services. Ross has been with the HSC for 18 years, leading his army with a quiet, caring demeanor that has earned him the respect of his building attendants and members of staff and faculty alike. "Working with the Custodial staff as well as with faculty and students has been both rewarding and enjoyable to me."

While the men and women of Custodial Services primarily provide a variety of cleaning services, they've taken on additional roles. Ross explains that they also "serve as first-line greeters that provide information and assistance to faculty, staff, students, and visitors". For the matter of conserving energy, they routinely turn off lights that have been left on unnecessarily. They also partner with UT Police by turning in lost items, reporting suspicious activities, and ensuring the school's doors are kept locked and secured, all part of the HSC's crime prevention initiative. Another role they play: fund raising. There's never been a problem for a lack of volunteers to raise funds by selling hotdogs or tacos for charity events such as the yearly State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC). Even if the event is geared towards support for the department's annual Christmas party, Custodial Services has always made their presence known.

25 with a lot more to go     Raul Samarripas receives a plaque for his 25 years of service to the HSC.     From left: Manuel Rendon, Fernando Terrazas, and Esteban Iglesias

While their day-to-day work may seem to go unnoticed, members of Custodial Services have been praised and recognized for their efforts to keep HSC in top-top shape. At the recent monthly Service Awards ceremony, Raul Samarippas, Building Attendant III, received a plaque honoring his 25 years of service to the HSC. Esteban Iglesias, a Painter III for Custodial Services, was voted by a committee of peers from the different divisions of FM as the first-ever recipient of the Employee of the Year award in 2006. Sam Reyes, a Building Attendant II, is among a few who were awarded the distinguished Presidential Employee Excellence in Service Award in 2006. Always on the move, not only does he lead a team of movers who have performed countless special event setups all over campus, he has led volunteers for 21 years straight to climb 950 steps to the top of the Tower of the Americas to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Working for a cause      Custodial Services raising funds for SECC

Our appreciation for our housekeepers should not be confined by observing a designated week. Any day, be it when they empty our trash cans every morning or when they report to move your office furniture, a "Thank you" will go a long way. «»

- Randy de los Reyes
  Facilities Management Information Systems

Posted: 9/5/08