Give grounds crew more credit
Letter to the Editor
Eight thousand tulips from Denmark. Who plants them? No, they do not travel first class and plant themselves. Where do all the cigarette butts that students carelessly flip on the ground in front of Madeleva Hall disappear to? No, there is not some tobacco junkie lurking around at night collecting them. And who keeps the grass from growing to resemble an overgrown jungle? No, ducks don't eat grass, and even if they did, they couldn't eat that much. The answer to all of these questions lies in the "Green Men" about campus. These "Green Men," otherwise known as the Grounds Crew, do not receive the respect that they deserve, and that must be changed!
If you're asking yourself who the Grounds Crew is, you might faintly recall seeing some men riding around campus in gray "EZ-go" carts, which are similar to golf carts. Or maybe you've seen one of them outside of the Science Building pulling weeds from the flower boxes, or planting new bulbs in the Rock Garden. They are the men behind the lawn mowers, shovels, tractors and rakes all over campus. They are what makes this campus what it is, which means keeping the entire grounds in shape and in the condition worthy of an appearance in Home and Gardens magazine.
The men are even color-coded for your convenience. They are the ones wearing green t-shirts and black shorts or pants. John is the one with the long black and silver hair, and an ex-Literature professor. Lance, father of one, is sporting a new buzz in anticipation of the summer heat. Rich is always wearing mirrored sunglasses and has a new baby. Dan, a Former Marine, will be celebrating his wedding in September. Tim, the newest addition to the group of men, is the lanky smoker. They're very easy to recognize, just look on the right side of their shirts. The shirts read, Saint Mary's College Grounds Crew. That's just a no-brainer.
Many students avoid the Grounds Crew for various reasons, unless they need something done. These things range from tasks such as raking all the leaves around football season, putting together a bookshelf or even changing a flat tire. Some ignore them because they don't believe in talking to people that perform what they think to be menial labor. A 40 hour work week, in whatever elements Mother Nature whips up, doing nothing but hard muscle-building work, is hardly menial.
Others shy away from the Grounds Crew because they fear that the men might bite. I assure you, they do not. They are good natured fathers and husbands, and are far from the bottom rung of humanity where some Saint Mary's students think they belong.
Give these hard-working men some credit! They maintain this entire campus in mint condition, and with all their green thumbs combined, make the gardens and flower boxes all around campus come to life with fragrance and color. They pick up all of our discarded juice boxes and candy wrappers that somehow missed getting in a nearby garbage can.
Next time you see a member of the Grounds Crew, don't be aloof, don't be nervous. Give him a well deserved pat on the back, or at least a hello.
Maria Pilar Paulick
Sophomore
LeMans Hall
May 2, 2000
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, May 3, 2000
