University of Tennessee Knoxville - Volunteer Yearbook (Knoxville, TN)

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make sure that people do their jobs. At the end of each day the housekeeper clocks out all of the employees. Whenever roommates clog the sink or break the lock on the door, UT students are glad there is a housekeeper downstairs coordinating the efforts of the mainten- ance workers. Page 26, bottom left and right: Maintenance of the bathrooms is just one of the many duties that housekeeping is responsible for. Page 27, top left: Heavy-duty maintenance equipment is stored in each dorm and dispatched under the direction of the housekeeper. Bottom: The housekeeper coordinates the duties of the mainn tenance men. Student Lifev27

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Housekeeping : In a UT dormitory, housekeeping means more than making a few beds and washing some dishes. In fact, the job of housekeep- er entails ensuring the comfort of several hundred students. At the beginning of each day, a house- keeper, such as Willie Mae Griffin of South Carrick Hall, opens the employee entrance and the work day begins. The log at the front desk is read by the housekeeper to see what repairs are need- ed in the dorm that day. This information is relayed to the maintenance workers who begin their trek through the buildings with their carts of mechanical solutions to dorm life problems. Housekeepers also walk the floors in the dorms, says Evelyn Hayes, housekeeper for Massey. When something such as bad floor lighting is spotted, maintenance workers are alerted. Other duties of a housekeeper include ordering supplies and equipment. She also makes out the employees payroll. A relatively quiet job turns chaotic in June when many students store their pos- sessions in the dorm basements for sum- mer quarter. ttTrash becomes our biggest problem in June? Hayes said. Hayes said that one of her duties is to 26A9tudent Life

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Being a Resident Assistant tRAl is a difficult job. llThe main problem RAls face is trying to be a friend to the students on his floor and at the same time a discipli- narianfi according to East Area Coordin- ator Phil McCullough. ltRAis should es- tablish a comfortable relationship with students, yet keep a certain amount of re- spect? he said. ilYou develop a friendship with the stu- dents on your floor where you can just walk in and talk about the football game or whatever. But youire always apprehen- sive you might find alcohol around and have to write them upfi said RA Chris Pionke. After the first weeks of a new school year, discipline becomes less of a problem. llOnce a student breaks a rule and gets caught she learns respect for the rules, and me, and usually doesn,t do it againf, com- mented RA Laurie Risely. The role of dis- ciplinarian doesnit appeal to most RAis. Emphasis is placed on getting to know stu- dents. llThatis what its all about a help- ing people. Even with all the hassles, itis the most rewarding thing in lifefi Ms. Ri- sely added. RAis are required to attend training ses- sions in the spring and fall. George Barton, 28w8tudent Life West Area Coordinator, said, iiRA train- ing sessions involve instruction in commu- nication, the role of the RA, assertiveness, and programming, but the main guideline is just to know the residents well? Kathy Shorr reflected, llThe training was too abstract. A lot of theories were presented, but you donit learn about peo- ple. Interpretations of the rules changefl Indeed, different interpretations of the rules sometimes pressure a hallls staff. Ms. Shorr added, ilDifferent people interpret the rules different ways. There is a certain amount of peer pressure as to whats ex- pected of an RA and whats above and beyond duty? tlA lot of freshmen look to the RA for a role model. In this respect, you have to set an examplef, said Laurie Risely. RA Mar- cus Harton added, llPart of the job is the floor mother bit, but developing morals is not. For the most part, whatever morals a student has wonlt be Changed by me? Academically, a RA does not suffer any overall bad effects of the extra demands placed upon him. llI only know of one RA who quit because he said his grades were suffering, and I seriously doubt being a RA had anything to do with it, pointed out RA Jeff Gossage. llHaving a private 1 requirements of Title lX of the Education Arr 318; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation