Hello Campus Community,
I am alerting you to CPFM Facilities Services Custodial Department’s temporary adjustment to services provided to the academic buildings during the upcoming Summer Term. Last year we had the opportunity to partner with U of O Housing during the World Track Championships and provide custodial support to supplement Housing’s custodial staff during their busiest time of the year, which coincides with the least occupancy in the academic buildings. As a result of last year’s successful partnership, Housing is again going to utilize Facilities Services custodial staff during the summer. Because of this transfer of custodians, Facilities Services will be reducing some services in the academic buildings during the summer months.
In addition to supporting this year’s Commencement activities, starting June 21, 2023, all of the Custodial day shift, and part of the swing shift, will be working with Housing staff to prepare dorm rooms for the upcoming academic year and to support summer events. Custodial Services will continue to work with Housing until after the Labor Day holiday (September 4th), when they will resume full campus services to the academic campus and spend the remainder of the summer getting the academic buildings ready for the school year.
For the summer, you can expect the following reduction in custodial services in the academic buildings:
- Offices will not be cleaned.
- Classrooms that are not scheduled for use by the Registrar will not be cleaned.
- Reduced restroom and common space cleaning in lower use buildings, though all restrooms will still be checked multiple times per week and cleaned if needed.
- For buildings with regular classroom use, the only reduction that will be experienced is the temporary cessation of office cleaning. All other services will remain the same as the academic school year.
Thank you in advance for your support in these efforts. Our custodians work very hard to keep the campus looking and feeling clean and safe for the campus community. They are proud of the work that they are doing to support the students, faculty, and staff. We realize that there may be things that we have not considered with this service reduction.
Please let us know if there are any challenges or difficulties that we can help address to make things work better for each of you. We will continue to have some custodial staff during the day to support urgent needs that may come up.
mmmm… I wonder if siphoning more resources and services from academics to athletics will improve campus climate? Maybe a working group should be formed. It could launch a web resources page on how faculty can prevent the spread of COVID in bathrooms and our common spaces. Perhaps it could develop training to increase faculty understanding of this complicated development. This email already raises awareness of the issue, so the working group should be relieved of awareness raising tasks.
This shall be known as the IDEAL(tm) clean bathroom initiative:
I for Infectious
D for Dank
E for Equitish
A for Athletic
L for Lavatories
Like
With any luck, the accounting for this will actually do the reverse (if anything). My bet is that custodial services are part of the Designated Ops and Service Center funds, and the academic side (Education and General) pays for those services internally. If housing and athletics are using those resources, they will be paying for that out of Auxiliaries, and E&G won’t be paying for the resources they won’t use.
In other words, E&G gets the full shifts of custodial staff during the year, when they are most needed in the academic side. Auxiliaries get more of the shifts in the summer, when they have more need for them. The employees get to be year-round employees. E&G doesn’t have to pay for the year-round shifts when they aren’t as needed. Seems pretty win-win to me.
For an example of this, see https://pages.uoregon.edu/baoforms/bao_drupal_6/sites/ba.uoregon.edu/files/fy22qtr4longform.pdf
E&G pays a lot for services and supplies, and DOSC earns a lot from internal sales.
The Knight Library bathrooms seem to be rarely cleaned already, guess we can look forward to even less. Way to make a good impression on our students and visitors.
Well they better keep the tampons stocked in the men’s rooms — they go really fast in my neck of campus — they don’t need a Title IX problem — or bad publicity in the Chronicle!
Tampons are primarily designed for feminine hygiene purposes, but people have found creative and unusual uses for them. Here are a few examples:
First aid: Tampons can be used as makeshift wound dressings or to control bleeding in emergency situations where medical supplies are limited.
Fire starters: The cotton in tampons is highly flammable and can be used as a fire starter for camping or survival situations. Remove the tampon from the applicator, unravel it, and fluff up the cotton before igniting.
Cord management: You can wrap tampons around loose cords or cables to keep them organized and tangle-free. The applicator can be used to thread the cord through, acting as a cord organizer.
Earplugs: In a pinch, tampons can be used as earplugs to block out noise. However, it’s essential to ensure they are clean and free from any chemicals before using them in this way.
Fishing bobber: By attaching a tampon to your fishing line, you can create a makeshift bobber. The absorbent nature of the tampon helps it float, indicating when you have a bite.
Ice pack: Soak a tampon in water and freeze it. The frozen tampon can be used as a small ice pack for minor injuries or to reduce swelling.
Potpourri sachets: Remove the tampon from the applicator, dip it in essential oils or your favorite fragrance, and place it in a small bag or pouch. It can then be used as a portable potpourri sachet to freshen up small spaces like drawers or closets.
Remember, while these alternative uses can be creative, it’s important to consider hygiene and cleanliness. Make sure the tampons are unused and free from any substances that could cause irritation or harm if used in these unconventional ways.
Chat, you are doing the timely public health work that UO should be hiring more administrators for. Thank you for your public spirit.
Sort of interesting that the people at Facilities Services are more honest about the impact of athletics than our Interim President Provost. They also write clearer email messages.