By Frank O'Brien
A slight cream-skinned woman of middle age bustles about the second floor rug of Dulac. It is early in the morning, and the sun frames a crimson halo against the window. The hall is quiet then, aside from the vacuum’s incessant purr as Irene Duff starts the machine. It is just the beginning of a day’s work for her. Few other students are about at this hour.
Irene gracefully glides the vacuum across the rug, absorbed in her work.
As a member of Stonehill’s residential custodial staff, Duff is responsible for the general upkeep and cleaning of the Dulac dorm areas. Her work is focused around the bathrooms, kitchens, and general common areas. The first thing Duff does each day is remove trash from the building. She then cleans the bathrooms, spending most of her time on the shower areas. It is really important to Irene that the residence remain clean and a good place to live. She must mop up toilet and shower leakage as well as any vomit lingering after weekends. The last areas she focuses on are the lounges, where she will vacuum stray crumbs, mop trash off the floor, and clean any marks off the walls.
The busiest day for her is always Monday. Since no cleaning is done on the weekends, the bathrooms are usually messy and the trash overflowing by this time. The bulk of this day is spent cleaning those bathrooms, they are the priority. Duff stresses that it takes a long time to clean those rooms. She observes that many students in her areas can be careless about the upkeep of their living space. Being the only custodial member in Dulac, she often must run a very tight schedule in order to get everything cleaned.
She found herself very drawn to Stonehill, because of how close it was to her home in Brockton. She was also drawn by the promise of free tuition for her two children, now 28 and 30 years old. College was very important to her, since she never had the chance to go herself. When she was young, college was never even an option for her. She had grown up with 12 siblings on the poorer side of Brockton. Her parents made enough to support the family, but did not have great jobs and did not push their kids to pursue a university education. She enjoyed high school and was involved in many extracurricular clubs, but a college education ,she knew, was beyond her reach. Neither of Duff’s parents brought up the prospect of college. And Duff constantly needed to work to support herself, ever since she was fourteen picking food at Packett’s Farm in Brockton. Immediately after graduation she left home and got her own apartment. Yet Duff says she always regretted not going and often thought about what she had given up. She really wanted her two children to attend college, and continually pushed them in that direction. She stresses how necessary an undergraduate education is today, and that jobs are always asking for it.
Neither of Duff’s parents brought up the prospect of college. And Duff constantly needed to work to support herself, ever since she was fourteen picking food at Packett’s Farm in Brockton. Immediately after graduation she left home and got her own apartment. Yet Duff says she always regretted not going and often thought about what she had given up. She really wanted her two children to attend college, and continually pushed them in that direction. She stresses how necessary an undergraduate education is today, and that jobs are always asking for it. Though neither of her children ended up choosing Stonehill, both did succeed in furthering their education and have had career opportunities that were unavailable to Duff. She is very proud of this.
But it had been a lengthy road bringing Duff to her present position at Stonehill. After high school Duff began work at minimum wage at a laundry at a local hospital. She previously owned her business, a place called Irene’s Lounge in Middleboro. Though she ran a good business and did well with her lounge, after 13 years she said that she didn’t like the job. Duff worked long hours at the lounge, primarily cleaning duties such as sweeping, cleaning, and preparing the kitchen. She would work from 6 am to 2 am the next day. She was often surrounded by drunken customers, and found the bar’s general atmosphere unpleasant. The bar was very crowded and though she was only allowed to serve 45 people, as many as 70 would often find their way in. It was not someplace she wanted to remain long. Duff eventually sold her business and sought other work. After a few years of traveling with the money she made from her lounge, she joined a cleaning company her brother worked for and various other side jobs.
She would spend five years persistently applying to for positions at Stonehill every time there was an opening. But for a while, Stonehill was hesitant to hire her because many people at the school disliked her ex-husband, who had previously worked at Stonehill and had been known as kind of a nuisance. Eventually Duff was able to convince her employer not to judge her based on her ex-husband’s faults.
Irene has worked at Stonehill for thirteen years now, and hopes to remain there until retirement. Duff believes she has learned a lot from the way she was raised, that it has taught her to set goals for herself, like owning her own home. Little by little, she was able to secure a better, though still far from affluent, way of life than she had growing up. Duff also claims her upbringing allows her to be more open to those who are struggling to support themselves. She wants to keep working at Stonehill for at least seven more years.
A cheery, balding man reclines into an armchair as his brow furrows in thought. Father Hugh Cleary says that often comes into contact with Duff, since he also lives in Dulac. He said Irene has become a part of students’ lives, someone always available for them to chat with.
He says the custodial staff at Stonehill often goes above and beyond what is expected of them. He tells the story of George, a custodial worker in the student ministry building. Cleary recounts one day after the student ministry retreat, there was a huge mess in the kitchen. Though it was not his responsibility at all, George, without prompting, came in and cleaned up the area. Father Cleary said people shouldn't take for granted what the custodial workers do and the integral role they play in Stonehill’s community.
Duff said she tries to establish a strong rapport of communication with students she encounters, believing this makes her job easier. She feels communication is everything. She often tries to help students who are having trouble adapting to being away from home. If a student is having adjustment issues being away from home, Duff makes every effort to talk to the student and get her the help she needs. Being a parent herself, Duff tries to treat students like her own kids and believes students should get the most out of their college experience.
Duff gently emphasizes that she likes it when students talk to her and doesn’t want people to feel hesitant to approach her. She believes it is the students who give her the job. In her experience students are generally polite, but are hesitant to acknowledge Irene except in passing, when they are forced to. Though many times students are inclined to avoid her, Duff does not want this to be so.
Duff gently emphasizes that she likes it when students talk to her and doesn’t want people to feel hesitant to approach her. She believes it is the students who give her the job. In her experience students are generally polite, but are hesitant to acknowledge Irene except in passing, when they are forced to. Though many times students are inclined to avoid her, Duff does not want this to be so.
Duff walks down the Dulac hall, swinging a red cooler by her side. She wears the same blue uniform as always, the same cheery, unfazed expression. She enters her parked mini-van and starts the engine.
Sources
Interview-Professor Velazquez
Interview-Father Hugh Cleary
Interview- Andrew Young
Interview-Ernest Zezze
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