It’s 6:30 a.m. in the residence halls. The sun has barely risen; most of the residents are still asleep and the dining halls haven’t quite opened.

But some people are working in the residence halls and have been for awhile: custodial staff.

They are looking for any leaks, clogs or messes that may have occurred during the night. They are taking out trash, vacuuming floors. They are cleaning stains, fixing congested toilets and taking care of dirty showers. They are ensuring that the home in which residents will awaken is clean and safe.

Kelly Hammontree is among the dedicated staff.

Hammontree has been working five years for University Housing. She previously worked in Carson’s central kitchen warehouse, and after delivering products to and from the kitchen and warehouse she decided it was time for a change. So she applied for a custodial position and was assigned to Barnhart.

A typical day for Hammontree goes something like this: she gets to Barnhart at 6:45 a.m., cleans the lounges, takes out trash, vacuums and checks to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. She then cleans individual bathrooms, vacuums the halls, wipes down spots and dusts. At 3:30 p.m., she’s finally done for the day.

Without the hours of cleaning, the UO's residence halls would be a very different place – less than clean, and without anyone to call if a microwave is suddenly not working or a major spill occurs.

Cassandra Eggert, Residence Life Coordinator in Barnhart, says the custodial workers play a key part in helping ensure that every student matters.

“Custodial workers take real ownership over their communities and work hard to help create clean, healthy and caring living environments for the residents,” she says.

For more about Hammontree and the responsibilities of custodial staff, read a recent story by UO Student Affairs.

- from UO Student Affairs