A lot of work goes into keeping the Winona State University campus clean and running. One might ask, who is it that keeps WSU this way? The answer to this question is General Maintenance Workers or GMWs. These are the people responsible for cleaning buildings, setting up residence halls, recycling and trash collection and so much more. They are in charge of keeping buildings safe and up to date. This is integral for an older campus such as Winona State University, which was founded in 1858 and has a few rather old buildings.
Often General Maintenance Workers work with a variety of people, which may include Resident Assistants (RA’s). Autumn Patterson is an RA at the East Lake Apartments, and she often has to work with the GMW of East Lake. “We collaborate with him all the time,” said Patterson. GMWs keep buildings up and running in an efficient manner. There is constant collaboration to make sure things stay that way. When residents of the numerous residence halls are in need of something, RAs will need to contact GMWs, who will then take care of the problem. This communication allows for GWMs to take care of things in a short amount of time.
Patterson describes that if Winona State didn’t have GMWs things would move a lot slower around campus. They provide many services to Winona State in an efficient manner. Without them, Winona State would have a difficult time keeping up with things like maintenance problems. If GMWs weren’t helping with campus, Winona State would have to find outside sources to keep things clean and running. It would require things like setting up appointments and working around the schedule of an outside company to get things done. The efficiency at which the GMWs of Winona State operate is miles ahead of how long it would take to have an outside company do their job. Without them the lives of everyone on campus would be a lot more difficult.
GMWs create an impact on the Winona State campus, whether it is known or not. They often must take care of maintenance issues in the Winona State residence halls and academic buildings. Whether that’s keeping things clean, helping with the heating and air conditioning, taking care of the trash or fixing broken things, they have a lot of responsibility. “Everything that they do doesn’t go unseen,” said Patterson.
Bailei Johnson, a GMW who has been at Winona State for just over a year, has been able to get a greater insight into the inner workings of campus. Being able to clean a building and see how things are used, how often they’re used and the kind of people they’re being used by creates a deeper understanding of how important the campus buildings are. This understanding translates into knowing the importance of the connection between the work being done and the people who benefit from it.
There are many highs and lows that come along with this job but there are many things that truly make the hard job worth it. “Making sure that everything is kept clean for students, staff, faculty, visitors and to just kind of build comradery with the students and staff around here,” said Johnson. The work that GMWs do has a direct impact not just on the building, but on the WSU community as a whole.
By doing things like cleaning and sanitizing areas, disposing of trash, occasionally patching up walls and extracting carpets, Johnson has been given a greater appreciation for janitorial services from when she was in school. This kind of appreciation is something that is important to show GMWs for the work that they do. “I think a lot of the students and faculty do tend to appreciate what we do. Sometimes people don’t really necessarily understand the amount of work we have to do, but that doesn’t really matter at the end of the day when students and faculty are thanking us,” Johnson said.
GMWs are an integral part of Winona State, as they are the ones who make everyone else’s lives easier. They are the ones who do the jobs that others often don’t want to, but they do them, nonetheless. “It can be a lot more difficult than you think,” said Jonhson.
Without GMWs, Winona State’s campus wouldn’t be the same. Whether that’s because it would be dirty, or falling apart, GMWs are the ones who make campus as students know it: clean, safe and an all-around positive place to be. A little appreciation can go a long way to show the unsung heroes of Winona State that everyone appreciates how much they do around campus, for not just the buildings but for everyone.
