The stores in Rohnert Park are lined with empty shelves where food was once spilling out of containers in abundance, and few people roam the streets making Rohnert Park feel more of a ghost town than anything else, inducing worry among college students in this revolutionary time period.

However, even in this hectic time with an economic crash, panic buying, the virus, and more, Sonoma State can still rely on their custodians to keep the campus clean, safe, and bring a sort of normalcy back onto campus even as they might be forced out of their job come summer.

Dana Twedell, the Associate Vice-President for Administration and Finance, in light of the custodian’s dedication to keeping the campus clean, said, “I’m very grateful for their efforts. Since the Shelter In Place Notice was initiated, our Custodial team has continued to provide their services, along with so many others in Facilities Management. We have a great team, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Sonoma State custodians are still making sure the buildings on campus stay sanitary and presentable by typically working from 11:00 p.m.- 7:30 a.m. on a reduced schedule. Since most of the buildings at Sonoma State have been closed down due to COVID-19, they are rotating their schedules by having custodians work a few hours per shift and dispersing their hours over the course of a few days at a time.

Stephen Green, California State University Employees Union representative, urged that everyone do their part by saying, “The biggest thing everybody can do, for our custodians, as well as themselves and everybody else they interact with, is practice social distancing and good hygiene. Try to stay healthy and keep those around you healthy. And take extra care to clean up after yourself.”

The custodians that are currently working on campus are receiving emergency pay, which is time and a half of their usual pay. Some custodians who are 65 or older, and/or have medical conditions that make them more susceptible to the virus, are staying home for their safety and are still being paid.

The university is currently attempting to make telecommute arrangements for the custodians that are not physically on campus, which will most likely take the form of on-line training and such.

When CSUEU was asked about the current relationship between Sonoma State and themselves, Green explained, “Human Resources and the VP of Admin and Finance have made themselves available to Gina and I, as well as the leaders of other unions on campus, via daily zoom calls to address concerns we have over safety, work conditions, leave usage requirement, and any other issues that arise. There are some actions taken by the CSU that CSUEU disagrees with and is addressing, but there have been no local issues that have come up during this time that we have raised that the University has not been responsive to.”

However, despite their willingness to work with the custodians, it seems Sonoma State still plans on changing the custodians hours. This decision will put several custodians out of a job and force them to quit, an issue which was covered in a STAR article published earlier this semester.

As the custodians put themselves in harm’s way by supporting the campus and seawolf community, the union hopes Sonoma State will have a change of heart when the two sides revisit the revised shift idea in the coming weeks.

Regardless of whether or not the custodians may be out of their jobs with the time change Sonoma State is still pushing for in the upcoming months, the custodians have remained diligent and dedicated in this unprecedented time and focused on their mission to keep Sonoma State a clean and safe place for staff and students to live.