Sophie Rogers
Contributing Writer
Picture this: a student finishes class and goes to find a seat outside. When they arrive at the benches, they find that they are dirty and they are left without a seat.
Students are voicing concerns about the cleanliness of benches and tables around campus. These benches and tables are at multiple locations around campus, leaving students frustrated. This issue can affect anyone on campus looking for a place to sit outdoors.
“The benches are really gross and they are always dirty. I am not sure if they are stained that way or if it’s stuff that can be scrubbed off. As a commuter, it is annoying because there are no places to sit down and wait for your classes outside. I wish that I had a clean place to sit,” said Ava Molenda, 21, of Mount Bethel.
As a commuter student, Molenda feels particularly affected by this issue. Commuters usually have time in between classes when they may need to find places to sit. Many can be seen trying to find outdoor seating when the weather is nice.
“In the mornings they are pretty well kept from the looks of it. As the day goes they get noticeably filthy. That’s not the cleaning staff’s fault, but more the students,” said Alex Martocci, 20, of Roseto.
Not all students share the same perspective on this issue. Martocci takes students into consideration when thinking of the reason for the maintenance issues. While these students may have different opinions, they end up at the same conclusion.
John Bloshinski II, director of facilities management, agreed to answer a few questions about the topic of the cleanliness of benches and tables.
What is the schedule for cleaning outdoor benches and tables and trimming shrubs?
“ESU’s facilities management team does extensive cleaning during summer months including power washing exterior surfaces. Then, of course, throughout the fall and spring semesters, surfaces are cleaned as needed. Campus landscape is assessed regularly to ensure safety and aesthetics.”
Is there a lack of help this year causing these outdoor fixtures to not be routinely cleaned?
“While the grounds crew was down two employees during the spring and summer this year, the team worked incredibly hard to be sure the campus was ready for the arrival of students for the fall semester.”
Moving forward, is there anything you will be doing to address this issue?
“We are excited to have our team close to being fully staffed again which will allow more resources to maintain the beauty of our campus. If students see areas they feel aren’t clean or safely maintained they can contact Stacey Grant in the Office of Facilities Management by emailing sgrant5@esu.edu.”
Moving forward, any members of the community who still see issues with cleanliness of outdoor fixtures can submit work orders to facilities management. These work orders notify facilities management of any issues that may need to be fixed.
Work orders can be placed using the facilities management website. In addition to this, students can call facilities management at 570-422-3064 to report any problems.