The bathrooms are clean, the floors are mopped and the trash is gone, often without students noticing the people who made it that way.
Housekeeping at Taylor University plays one of the most important roles in creating a safe, comfortable environment for the students.
Imagine walking into a bathroom that was never cleaned, or always using overflowing trash cans.
Housekeeping is the reason we do not need to worry about these things.
However, they do far more than just cleaning buildings. Led by Jonathan White, Taylor’s housekeeping manager, the team makes sure every space on campus is ready for the daily life of studentsl.
“We want to do everything we can to make this experience as good for you as students, whether it’s just the living here or the academic aspect,” White said, “because we know how important that is to students, and most of us have been parents, so we know how important it was for our kids.”
The impact of housekeeping is most visible to students through the staff members who daily work in the buildings.
This includes Kevin Trees, who has been working at Taylor as a housekeeper for 26 years. Trees is one of two housekeepers managing Samuel Morris Hall.
Aside from cleaning lobby trash cans and bathrooms, Trees deals with difficult situations. Once, in Wengatz, he fixed a toilet clogged by baby diapers, he said.
“It’s hard work, but you just make the best of it,” Trees said. “To me, I get some satisfaction. I know I clean something up. You know it looks better afterward. It’s got to be in that right mindset.”
Despite some days the job proving difficult, Trees stays at Taylor for his co-workers and the students, he said. He appreciates how Taylor students interact with him and the time he spends with co-workers.
Beyond keeping campus clean, the housekeeping staff have built meaningful relationships with students.
Housekeeping helped Dirk Soughan, a senior finance major and Personnel Assistant on the second floor of Samuel Morris Hall, handle maintenance issues he did not know how to fix on his own. Soughan also expressed how fond the students on Sammy II are of Trees.
“He’s actually very sweet,” Soughan said. “He’s also very good at taking care of his things, being present and doing hard work with his hands.”
At the heart of the Housekeeping team’s work is a deep care for and love of Taylor students.
White considers his interactions with students a form of ministry, he said. Having served as a pastor for 20 years,Taylor was originally part of a transitional period for him, but the environment and students convinced him to stay, broadening his definition of ministry.
“I’ve also had to change how I look at the ministry,” he said, “because I still have an opportunity here with my own staff and students that I’m here with.”
One of White’s most memorable moments was officiating the wedding of two Taylor graduates who had worked for him.
White’s story reflects the larger impact of the housekeeping department. Small decisions that students make throughout the day can either increase or decrease work for the housekeeping staff. Whether it’s picking up trash or asking housekeeping staff about their day, there are small ways the student body can show appreciation for housekeeping’s dedication.
