Two custodians, Clue Gilman and Jorge Rivera, frequently pop their heads into The Oswegonian office, making conversation and forming friendly relationships with students while carrying out their daily tasks.

If you have spent time in the Marano Campus Center, especially around The Oswegonian office and The Compass, you have likely seen one, or both, of these members of the Oswego State c

ustodial staff hard at work. Their shifts run from 2:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. Gilman works Monday through Friday, and Rivera clocks in Tuesday through Saturday.

“It’s a good job,” Gilman said. “Sometimes it’s thankless. You have people looking down their nose at you, but it’s a good job. It really it is, and you meet different kinds of people.”

A few of their responsibilities include the obvious tasks: cleaning bathrooms, emptying garbage bags, vacuuming carpets, locking up the building and disinfecting surfaces. Others are not so obvious, like monitoring room activity, snow removal, cleaning the hockey locker rooms and emergency cleanups, just to name a few.

“Somebody putting me on a task and actually finishing it and having it

look good [feels good],” Gilman said. “To actually have somebody come in knowing what the room looks like before and after, and they’re going ‘you guys did an awesome job.’ I like that.”

Of course, there are horror stories of bathroom trips gone wrong. Rivera says they mostly occur in the handicap stall.

“Everybody likes to use the stall that’s more comfortable,” Rivera said.

An example of those “emergency cleanups” was on Jan. 6, when Oswego State men’s ice hockey hosted Manhattanville College and a pane of glass broke during warmups. Rivera was right in the middle of that cleanup.

Rivera is one of the cleaners Gilman oversees. Gilman is considered a janitor and an s-grade seven, which classifies her pay grade, although she said she prefers custodian. Rivera is an s-grade five.

“I’m proud of my job. I’m proud of the work that we do,” Gilman said. “I alway

s strive for everyone else to do what they are supposed to do.”

Gilman and Rivera are both supervised by Julie Grimshaw-Lyon. She is an s-grade 11 and supervises eight buildings, 10 janitors and roughly 20 cleaners.

“Campus is getting 24/7 now,” Grimshaw-Lyon said. “It’s getting bigger and bigger and bigger. We need 24-hour coverage to get everything done.”

Despite the hectic work schedule, Gilman and Rivera said they both appreciate their jobs and

make the most of everyday in the Marano Campus Center.

“Your day will go a lot faster. You’ll have better stories to tell than if you’re miserable all the time,” Rivera said. “Whatever looks bad, try to make a positive out of it.”

Rivera said he also gets to work campus events, citing his excitement for the upcoming A$AP Ferg concert at OzFest. Others include hockey games, Shaun Cassidy Fan Club and the gospel chorus.

“You

do get to watch these activities but keep in mind that you’re at work,” Rivera said. “So, you want to make sure your job is being done as you’re watching.”

Rivera is currently on a standard 52-week probation with his current role. If he has no complaints and passes evaluations, after that 52-week period he will receive benefits and jo

b security. He talked about his aspirations to move up and said this job offers opportunities to do so, which is one reason he took it.

“I like what I do right now, and it’s for what I do right,” Rivera said. “I’m going to move up eventually. Hopefully, I can rub off my energy on people and they can pass it on. You should learn a lot from everybody you meet.”

Photo: Cole Parzych | The Oswegonian