HELENA — Carroll College became one of 27% of colleges and universities across America to not once go virtual last semester. MTN News visited with their custodial staff to see what they expect for the spring semester.
“The routine stays a lot like, pretty much normal like we used to but add extra steps," says Howard Taylor, Lead Custodian at Carroll College.
To stay ahead of COVID-19 it takes a lot of spraying, wiping, and taking out the trash to keep the college common areas clean and sanitized.
Taylor and 15 other custodians at Carroll College work to refill over 300 bottles of disinfectant and over 100 dispensers for towelettes across campus, as well as handle 15 handheld foam sprayers to clean all surfaces in each building.
“I've known from day one that our custodial team is critical to the operations of this college,” says Daniel Byrd, Facilities Assistant Director at Carroll College. “I really appreciate all the work they do. They have been here from March on through prepping and cleaning and really trying to create the safest environment we can for our students."
The spring semester begins soon and Carroll College hopes to continue its streak of in-person learning during the pandemic.
Since the start, they have ramped up cleaning efforts including adding disinfectant and towelettes to each classroom and meeting spaces across campus.
Keeping the virus at bay is a team effort and involves students, staff, and custodial staff cleaning each space before and after each use.
"We have changed shifts a little bit to ensure that we have coverage in buildings as much as possible,” says Byrd. “Then, we have, in certain buildings, shifted when things are open to ensure we have coverage during those times."
In charge of the coverage is custodians like Howard Taylor. Taylor looks forward to another clean semester and appreciates and credits the custodial staff.
“Nobody ever talks about the custodial, but that's the guy that cleans the rooms, that's the guy that's doing the hard work, he's up there getting everything ready," says Taylor.
The first day of class begins January 19th, 2021.
