Thank you, frontline workers

By Kennesaw State University

October 20^th, 2020

Kennesaw State's United Front

Kennesaw State’s frontline workers – hundreds of employees in numerous departments and units throughout our campuses – have worked tirelessly behind the scenes over the past six months. They have shown their dedication in prioritizing student and employee safety, which has allowed the KSU community to return to campus and the University to safely open its doors this fall.

These are our unsung heroes, the people who have ensured that the lights have stayed on and that the University could continue to provide a world-class education to the Owl family even in the midst of a pandemic.

Thank you to our frontline workers for all that you’ve done and all that you continue to do.

While many KSU employees worked remotely last spring, the University’s frontline workers – which includes staff in building services, postal services, KSU police, emergency management, health services, campus services teams and numerous other departments – remained here. While KSU’s campuses looked different without students and faculty around, these employees continued their day-to-day duties as usual and added new responsibilities.

The Building Services team worked alongside other departments such as Environmental Health and Safety and the Office of Emergency Management to source and procure personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfecting supplies and equipment, and sanitizing wipes.

This team of 110 custodians implemented best practices by using disinfecting solutions with misters, foggers and electrostatic sprayers to mitigate the spread of the virus on campus. This fall, their workload ramped up to include nightly disinfection of each classroom to reduce cross-contamination.

“They arrive each day ready to go to work, many long before sunrise, many others during the day or late at night. ”

“In the best of times, custodial work is a team effort, and in these trying times, every day, the spirit and positive attitude of our custodial staff make all the difference. ”

Many departments had a hand in the enormous work that kept the University running and open to students, even at a distance. From the maintenance of the buildings, grounds and parking decks, to the technology support from UITS and everything in between, numerous teams did whatever they could to prepare and plan for the re-opening of campus this fall. But their work did not stop there.

These frontline workers continue to put their best foot forward, taking deep pride in the work they do to keep us here on campus this fall while readying the campus for a successful spring return.

Department of Public Safety

The Department of Public Safety and University Police saw fewer students and faculty during late spring and summer, but their mission remained in patrolling the campuses while assisting in several new roles brought about by the pandemic.

The Public Safety department served as a distribution point for students to pick up food boxes from CARE Services’ food pantry. Officers assisted at COVID testing sites on campus and helped to deliver supplies such as masks and sanitizer to the campus and other USG institutions.

The Office of Emergency Management coordinated the University’s response to the pandemic, planning any necessary steps, and working with Environmental Health and Safety and other KSU departments to ensure that everyone has the supplies needed to keep campus sanitized and open for classes. A new peer-to-peer ambassador program was also created to encourage mask-wearing among students.

“I’m very proud of the job that Public Safety has done. The Office of Emergency Management, our police officers, and the entire department has pitched in to do whatever has needed to be done."

"We have stepped outside our normal mission – such as helping gather and distribute supplies to our university and other institutions in the state – all while keeping our campuses safe for students, faculty and staff.”

Campus Services

Campus Services has been up to the task, as its variety of departments have collaborated with other units to serve the needs of students.

University Housing moved out residential students in the spring with social distancing guidelines in place and welcomed them back this fall with cleaned, sanitized and adapted spaces.

University Dining implemented extensive safety protocols in the dining halls and other on-campus restaurants, and have already served more than 45,000 meals to students this semester through dining-in and take-out options.

“All of our teams within Campus Services continued to work tirelessly after the spring transition to online learning and prepared throughout the summer to safely provide services to our students this fall."

"University Dining had to rethink their operations to safely serve our students, but still offer them a space to build community safely, which is extremely important for our first-year students."

"The thing that makes me the proudest is that never once did our teams lose sight of our students. I am incredibly grateful to work with this hard working and selfless team!”

Campus Postal Services continued to receive and process all of the incoming packages and mail to make sure that essential operations had the supplies and materials they needed. They’ve also helped this fall by serving as a pickup point for students who need essential supplies from CARE Services.

The work that frontline workers do, day in and day out, and often behind the scenes, has made it possible for the University to re-open its doors and provide the fall semester of in-person learning.

Whether by disinfecting and deep cleaning facilities, hosting trainings or distributing supplies and materials, these frontline workers are a vital component to KSU’s operation and continued success. The campus community recognizes and appreciates the dedication of these frontline employees, and it simply proves why almost 41,000 students choose to call Kennesaw State home.