Evocative

In coming to explore the plethora of primary sources, or lack thereof, on the maintenance staff at Bates College it becomes apparent that these workers have been long over looked by the broader Bates community. The only early acknowledgement, 1855 through the early twentieth century, of cleaning, maintenance or dining staff was in letters written home from, then current, Bates students on a few of the daily tasks the staff would perform. These tasks included but were not limited to washing student’s clothes and cleaning their individual rooms. One of the first mentions of maintenance staff affairs on campus, that was not simply an anecdotal reference, is an article in the Bates Student from 1992. The article elaborated on a ban that prohibited the staff from speaking French while at work, and how it had been recently lifted. It is important to note that at this time the majority of the maintenance staff was Franco-American also that at this time there was a flourishing French department at Bates.

Also, that up until this point, for the most part, students who were going on to matriculate in colleges and universities were of a higher socio-economic status than maintenance workers at the college. This trend may be another factor in this situation. Another major factor in this situation is due to the cultural politics of the time toward those of Franco-American heritage. French and French-Canadian immigrants came to the New England area in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, for the large demand for mill workers, were not met with the warmest of welcomes. Tensions were high between these groups and the Irish-Americans, whose families had come to the area decades before, responding to a need for laborers in canal buildings, limbering, and civil construction work. This tension slowly dulled to indifference, so once the mills closed down the Franco-Americans took to other jobs, in the case of Lewiston, ME they took maintenance positions at Bates.

We often think that a tertiary institution, like a school or a college, is primarily represented by its faculty and students. However, we often forget to acknowledge the “behind the scene” staff workers, who work equally hard to uphold an institution’s reputation. Though fairly seldom, at Bates, I have actually come across members of our community who tend undermine the importance of the work of the staff members here at Bates. They forget that the staff, too, is an integral part of our community that fulfills countless responsibilities to ensure that the college is run smoothly. For this Omeka project, we therefore decided to emphasize on the importance of our staff members. Accordingly, we selected a few individuals that worked in the dining services, facility services and office services department.

Being away from our parents is difficult since it requires us to be entirely independent. However, with the assistance from behind the scene staff, our lives as college students are made significantly easier. Without the assistance from maintenance staff, students would definitely have a hard time trying to adjust to their new life as a college student. For instance, we would have trouble walking around campus during winter. Additionally, if it were not for these staff members who work in dining services, we would have to spend large portions of our time preparing meals for ourselves that we could otherwise spend studying. The hard work of our maintenance staff is in fact much more evident, especially here at Bates, since we all live in small community. Thus, their service here leaves a greater impact in our lives. It is essential to not only recognize the importance of staff members, but also acknowledge them for their tireless efforts that help make Bates a better place for the entire community.

I have worked as a student sweeper previously for two years, and this position has taught me that the tasks that are assigned to our staff members are not exactly as easy and trivial as they appear to be. I clearly remember the frustration I felt on most Monday mornings because of the empty solo cups and beer cans lying in hallways and the staircases. Since I was responsible for sweeping those areas, it always took me extra time to finish up my work due to the chaos created by some students on weekends. Brenda, my supervisor at that time, once told me that when she first started working here, she was surprised by how much mess students can create over a weekend. However, after working for more than 15 years in the facility services department at Bates, the mess seemed rather normal for her. Brenda is one of the friendliest staff members I've met here on campus. She never failed to talk to me every time I saw her on campus. I remember at the end of the semester, she gave a $20 Milts and The Den gift card as a token of appreciation for my work. I feel very fortunate that I got to know her and work for her.