Facility managers from the East Campus and West Campus I and II service areas met with Residential Life and Housing Services administrators Wednesday to discuss disparities between housekeepers' operating procedures in the two areas and possible ways to standardize their duties.
The recent realization that maintenance staff in West I and West II service areas have different responsibilities prompted the discussion. West I includes Craven, Crowell and Kilgo Quadrangles and Wannamaker Dormitory, and West II covers Few and Edens Quadrangles and the West-Edens Link.
Although the duties are not dramatically different, administrators said they want to examine the inconsistencies to increase efficiency.
"Sometimes there are differences in the buildings that make [operating procedures] different," said Fidelia Thomason, director of residence hall operations. "Historically there's a difference from the days when East was all women and West was all men--women housekeepers were more likely to do things in bathrooms that would be considered heavy work than men were. The positions are identical, but some of those historical differences may be hanging on."
Campus Council will also consider its own review of the operating procedures sometime in the next few weeks.
"In my mind it makes no sense at all," Campus Council President Anthony Vitarelli said. "West I and West II should be standardized.... East may have different needs."
Many small differences in housekeeper duties exist between the campuses--particularly in details such as which cleaning tasks are to be done daily, weekly or just as needed.
"I would like to see clarifications of expectations," Vitarelli said. "Students should know what to expect from the housekeeping staff, and they should also know who they need to contact if those expectations are not met.... If students don't know, they won't necessarily know if it's not being done as thoroughly as it should be."
Despite differences in the details of procedures, Thomason said her main goal remains providing the best service possible for students in residence halls.
"The important thing is that the buildings are clean and comfortable for students--if we can get that end product, I can't see why that would matter if there are small differences," she said.
Any changes in standard operating procedures would not alter housekeepers' current employment status, as the distinction between West I and West II duties is not reflected in their contracts.
"The job description is the same, but the job descriptions don't provide detailed information about your job and how you're going to do it," Thomason said. "Depending on what building you work in, your specific duties and what you do each day could be quite different."
Wednesday's meeting and the upcoming Campus Council discussion are just the beginning of what officials said they hope will be a continuing consideration of housekeeper operating procedures.
"As a department we are reviewing our programs," said Tony Bumphus, facility manager for West II. "We'll share some ideas, learn from each other and hopefully improve the service we provide for the residents." He suggested that the schedule of various cleaning activities might change. Any such adjustments will not need any formal procedure for approval, he added.
"We're just trying to look at wherever we're having difficulty getting our jobs done and we're looking at the best way to handle situations," Bumphus said.
Andrew Collins contributed to this story.
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