By Jessica Landman
SUNY Plattsburgh President Alexander Enyedi, as well as the student body and faculty members, acknowledged National Custodian Appreciation Day Sept. 30.
Enyedi sent an email to everyone on campus to inform the community about National Custodian Appreciation Day and encouraged people to go out of their way to thank the custodial staff at SUNY Plattsburgh:
“Today, on National Custodian Appreciation Day, I encourage you to join me in acknowledging the dedication and hard work of those who keep our classrooms, workspaces and public facilities clean and maintained. Their essential work impacts every part of campus health and safety. And their daily efforts ensure that SUNY Plattsburgh remains a beautiful, functional campus for students, faculty, staff and visitors, including prospective students and their families.”
It was especially important to Enyedi, after the pandemic, that the custodians are appreciated. During the pandemic, the custodians were still on campus cleaning the buildings to ensure that every student and staff member was safe during those uncertain times. They showed up everyday to help make the lives of everyone else on this campus better.
“Throughout the pandemic, our custodial staff reported to campus each day to maintain and clean our buildings,” Enyedi’s email stated. “Our return to in-person instruction has truly highlighted the importance of their work and their ongoing dedication to provide the highest quality service.”
There are 67 cleaners, janitors and supervisors on campus. One employee, Kristie Daniels, works as a cleaner in Hood Hall.
Before working on campus, Daniels worked at a nursing home, but decided to leave that job and come to SUNY Plattsburgh.
“My husband worked here before me, so I applied when they had openings,” Daniels said.
She has now been employed at SUNY Plattsburgh for seven years.
“We clean everything, like literally everything,” Daniels said. “Summers we do all the bedrooms, top to bottom. Everything gets disinfected. Everyday, cleaning bathrooms, floors, toilets, sinks, you know, all that stuff that you have to clean. There’s other stuff that we have to do. We get pulled to go do tarps for special events in Hawkins and stuff like that, but other than that, it’s just like normal cleaning.”
Enyedi closed his email by writing, “Even beyond today, I ask that we continue to acknowledge these colleagues for their daily efforts in our classrooms, laboratories, academic buildings, residence halls, office spaces, study spaces, dining areas and public facilities. SUNY Plattsburgh’s custodial team is critical to our shared mission and our shared success here at the college.”
Showing appreciation for those on and off campus who work to help improve the quality of life and experiences for others can go a long way in enhancing the environment for everyone at SUNY Plattsburgh and beyond.
