page 8b
Custodians
Continued from page 7b
Lewis Cooke, a custodial technician in Hamilton Hall,
aqreed. "They might be more careful about making a mess
right in front of you if you're cleaning the hall," Cooke said.
"But for the most part I don't rmagine. they notice you at all.
Cooke said winter is the worst season for cleaning a
classroom building. Mud and snow are unceasing problems.
"I think that's probably the worst thing," Cooke said.
"Except for that, we only have the usual amount of litter that
we need to sweep up."
Behmer suggested most students are sloppier than they are
at home.
"I think they must be dirtier than at home," he said. "I
don't know anybody who throws cigarette butts or candy
wrappers on the floor at home. I'm on the job eight hours a
day and three to four hours is spent picking up trash.
"Dorm students are complaining about rising dorm rates.
My job would not exist if it wasn't for cigarette butts, paper
and spilled pop. If they would be a little more personally
ecological they wouldn't even need custodians."
The custodians fall into roughly three categories: -people
who have been and will continue to be custodians (both young
and old); -people who are simply putting in some time until
something better comes along; -and students. According to
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Behmer, the student help is least effective.
"We have some student help on the weekends and they
don't do much. They pick up the trash because that's visible,
but that's about it. We've got a couple good ones who work
together with us. But if I was some old man they'd probably
hide in a corner."
Behmer described two particularly unpleasant situations he
occasionally faces as a custodial engineer.
"You may not want to print this, but I'll tell you one thing
that really grosses me out," he said. "You find it when you're
cleaning the johns; boogers on the wall. Now who does that,
man? And it's predominantly, although not exclusively, a male
habit."
In the bathrooms Behmer said there is one major area in
which male and female habits can be compared: throwing up.
"Boys generally hit the stool," he noted. "When a girl
throws up you sometimes can't tell if they laid on the floor or
what."
But generally boys are "ten times dirtier," he said. He said
the biggest problem area he cleans is around the Foosball
table, which he called a "99 per cent male sport."
Cooke said the job of a custodial engineer can be, if not the
top of the world, at least a consistent job.
"You know about what to expect every day, even though
there are a few emergencies," he said. "You can count on your
regular pay check."
But Behmer complained that the pay is not high enough for
a man supporting a family.
"I make $65 per week, take home pay," he said. "That's
enough for me, but it's low pay. Who can support anybody on
that. The turnover rate is really high and some of the fellows
who work with me receive food stamps. If you paid janitors,
you'd get them off the food stamp rolls."
Although there are obviously few fringe benefits of the job,
Behmer said one is finding money. "I find about 30 or 35
cents each week on the floor."
The downstairs hallway of Andrews Hall points up the
problem the UNL custodial corps faces. In that hall there are
seven standing ash trays, six wall ash trays, nine wastebaskets
and two large trash receptables. On Good Friday by 9:30 a.m.
the trash had already begun to accumulate.
A crumpled Pall Mall pack lay within one foot of a
wastebasket, nine cigarette butts and assorted ashes and
matches had been dropped on the floor, a chewing gum foil
lay within six inches of a wastebasket, three candy wrappers
and four paper cups were scattered under various bonches.
Somebody has to clean up that stuff.