Maintnance keeps Bethel ticking

By Annie Thompson

What would Bethel College be without its maintenance men?

Think of the number of buildings on the Bethel campus. Now think of all the rooms, walls, doors, locks, cabinets, drawers, desks, beds, windows, faucets, showers, toilets, air-conditioners, furnaces, boilers, water heaters, light fixtures, and phones in each building that require up-keep.

Bethel's maintenance employees are very dedicated to their jobs. They are responsible for the buildings and campus grounds and they keep Bethel clean for students, employees, and the public. The lawns and roads from the track to the Admissions center and from the new dormitory to Kauffman Museum are maintained and made beautiful by the grounds department.

Not only are they loyal to their jobs, but also to Bethel College. Three-fourths of the employees in the maintenance departments either attended or graduated from Bethel.

"In some ways, everyday is different and everyday has its 'emergencies'," said Les Goerzen, maintenance supervisor.

"For some, a leaky faucet is an emergency, or a water line can break or an air conditioner can fail, or a lock doesn't work or someone drags mud into the Science Hall, or a room isn't unlocked, or a roof is leaky or it's too hot or too cold. We are constantly deciding what the priority is," said Goerzen.

The maintenance members agree that pranks make their jobs interesting.

After a prank is discovered, "we usually have to drop everything we are doing and run to the FAC to put all the seats back or unstack the tables in the Dining Hall," said Goerzen. "Most pranks are harmless and we try to see the humor in them."

"Maintenance is enjoyable most of the time," said Goerzen. "We enjoy the challenge of fixing something and the work is always different. One frustrations is not being able to help everyone immediately." And the Maintenance staff members always appreciate the understanding nature of Bethel's students, faulty and staff.

"The most rewarding part is when we take care of an emergency or just do a daily task and are thanked for it," said Goerzen. "This happens many times each day and it feels good to make people happy."