Lives of Campus Custodians

<p>This unique study uncovers the lives and working conditions of a group of individuals who are usually rendered invisible on college campuses--the custodians who daily clean the offices, residence halls, bathrooms and public spaces. In doing so it also reveals universities’ equally invisible practices that frequently contradict their espoused values of inclusion and equity, and their profession that those on the margins are important members of the campus community.This vivid ethnography is the fruit of the year’s fieldwork that Peter Magolda’s undertook at two universities. His purpose was to shine a light on a subculture that neither decision-makers nor campus community members know very much about, let alone understand the motivations and aspirations of those who perform this work; and to pose fundamental questions about the moral implications of the corporatization of higher education and its impact on its lowest paid and most vulnerable employees.Working alongside and learning about the lives of over thirty janitorial staff, Peter Magolda becomes privy to acts of courage, resilience, and inspiration, as well as witness to their work ethic, and to instances of intolerance, inequity, and injustices. We learn the stories of remarkable people, and about their daily concerns, their fears and contributions.Peter Magolda raises such questions as: Does the academy still believe wisdom is exclusive to particular professions or classes of people? Are universities really inclusive? Is addressing service workers’ concerns part of the mission of higher education? If universities profess to value education, why make it difficult for those on the margins, such as custodians, to “get educated.”The book concludes with the research participants’ and the author’s reflections about ways that colleges can improve the lives of those whose underpaid and unremarked labor is so essential to the smooth running of their campuses.Appendices provide information about the research methodology and methods, as well as a discussion of the influence of corporate managerialism on ethnographic research.</p> <p>Acknowledgements Foreword by <i>Jeffrey F. Milem</i> Preface. “I See You” Part One. The Research Study, Research Sites, and Researcher 1. You Must Have Done Something Wrong The Right Kind Of Wrong What’s Wrong? Writing Wrongs 2. Research Site Insights Cleaning Insights Research Sites Historical and Political Insights Insights Unseen 3. Coming Clean. Ethnographic Origins and Milieus The Subjective “I” And “Eye” Lessons Learned Part Two. The Custodial Life. Family and Fear 4. Pathways To A Cleaner [’s] Life Career Immobility Upward Mobility Downward Mobility The Allure Of Custodial Work on College Campuses Left Behind and Losing Ground 5. The Custodian Life Mr. Clean An All-Purpose Cleaner The Grim Sweeper Grime Scenes 6. The Supervising Life The Clean Team The Buffer Worker-Manager Strife 7. Fear the Worst Primal Fear Fear Factors Caste-Away Fears 8. Family Matters Family Feuds The CU Family The HU Family Family Therapy Part Three. Corporate Managerialism and Civic Disengagement 9. The Corporate Creep Business As [Un]Usual How’s Business? Not So Good Getting Down to Business A Corporate Managerialism Business Model Going out of Business 10. Soiled Educational Aspirations and Civic Disengagement Doing More Harm Than Good The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Too Bad Part Four. Education and Possibilities 11. The Courage to Be [In Trouble] Urine Trouble Troublemakers Trouble In Paradise 12. A Dog’s Life Having a Dog’s Chance Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks Dog-ma Epilogue Compton University Staff Updates Harrison University Staff Updates Miami University Staff Updates Appendix A. Research Methodologies and Methods Philosophical Foundations Influences on Fieldwork Methods Writing Goodness Criteria Appendix B. Unsanitized Tales From the Field Omissions Accomplished Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread Conclusion References Index</p>