Stephanie Bragg: JMU Facilities Management.

I happened to reach Stephanie while waiting for my class within Harrison Hall. Our interview was a short glance into the behind-the-scenes of sustaining our beautiful classrooms and building. For Ms. Bragg, interaction during work is infrequent, especially with students. So when I approached her, she appeared to be startled and confused.

Stephanie has worked for housekeeping for approximately three years now, having been referred by a friend during her time at T.J. Maxx. Her and her coworkers all work independently while collaborating to complete a large number of rooms in only a few hours. During our chat she explained how important it is to keep yourself busy and never sit down in her line of work. Stephanie showed me how she kept a clear head on the job with the sheer amount of jokes she cracked during our interview. She explained how her team likes to keep the mood light, often joking with one another using nicknames.

At the end of the video recording, Stephanie explained her discomfort with being recorded. Furthermore, she was delighted when her colleague Gwen entered the break room where we were seated, and promptly asked for Gwen to swap-in. Normally I would have asked for an independent interview, though both explained to me how convenient this was, and I soon agreed.

With both of them bouncing ideas back and forth to each other, I was able to gain a more wholistic sense of some underlying takeaways from our meeting. In recent years, JMU has drastically improved the safety of its staff in regards to the level of caution with handling harmful chemicals used in sanitation. No longer incorporating bleach, our university regulates the containment of toxic chemicals in locked storage facilities and also mixes solutions at an off-site location. In years past, Gwen explained how certain staff members actually experienced burns from minor explosions while cleaning toilets. Approximately 10 years ago, one of her coworkers improperly mixed a concoction of chemicals that formed a mustard gas and was forced to seek medical attention.

In their ongoing efforts to improve the quality and safety of their position, Stephanie, Gwen, and their coworkers are all made aware of the implications of contamination such as the recent issues with toxic water run-off at the Chesapeake Water Shed. They did share that the recent trend of switching from smoking cigarettes to "vaping" has resulted in significantly cleaner lawns as well as far less accumulated trash. However, there is still much work to be done.