Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

WGSS Celebrates Our Housekeeping Staff with a Valentine’s Day Bash

Posted on 02/27/2020

The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program spent Valentine’s day celebrating the hardworking folks in our housekeeping department.

Housekeeping and Facilities workers at UNCG were celebrated by the WGSS Program for their dedication to keeping our campus beautiful and clean. They were addressed with words of appreciation from the program director, Dr. Lisa Levenstein, as well as Homecoming Royalty, Vickie Whitt. Both spoke about the importance of the housekeeping staff and how their essential work often goes unnoticed. The intention of this event was to start a tradition of gratitude towards the housekeeping and facilities workers on our campus whose dedication keeps UNCG finding its way.

The group in attendance was served breakfast by WGSS student workers and volunteers. WGSS program administrator and singer, Sheila “Star” Washington, performed throughout the event, and her spirit and liveliness spurred some to sing and dance along. At the end of the event, assistant director of Building and Environmental Services, Dwayne Hines, and assistant director of Facilities Services, Ross Rick, were both acknowledged with certificates from WGSS commemorating their service and both gave words of encouragement and gratitude to their staff.

Dr. Lisa Levenstein, the program director, had this to say about the housekeeping staff at UNCG: “Our university cannot function without the work of our housekeepers yet they are often overlooked in campus celebrations and events. We wanted to show them how much we appreciate their efforts to keep our campus beautiful. We believe they are an absolutely crucial part of the campus community and that they deserve our recognition and respect.”

Sheila “Star” Washington, the WGSS Program Administrator and performer, serenaded the group throughout the event with classic love songs, punctuating her performance with words of thanks to the housekeeping and facilities departments for the beauty and thoughtfulness they bring to the campus. The songs and fellowship even led some in attendance to get up and dance!

Dwayne Hines, assistant director of Facilities Services, happens to be a talented piano player and accompanied Miss Washington during the event in an improvisational performance that we won’t soon forget. This came as an unexpected treat to all in attendance. 

Later, Hines had this to say about his staff: “Lots of people say how much they appreciate how clean UNCG is. What they don’t see is us coming in at 5 in the morning, 7 in the morning, cleaning up the messes made. You are the biggest asset at this organization.”

The second shift of housekeeping workers had a celebration of their own. In the campus supply building, where they check in at the beginning of their shift, WGSS set up a room with a delicious lunch, desserts, fruit, drinks, and of course, more music from the illustrious Sheila “Star” Washington. They heard remarks from Dr. Levenstein and Vickie Whitt, homecoming royalty, speaking to their dedication and the importance of their work on campus. The housekeeping staff enjoyed refreshments, music and an opportunity to relax and mingle with each other, and some even got up to dance.

WGSS Students spent the weeks preceding this event collecting handwritten notes from students, faculty, and staff to express their appreciation for the housekeeping department. The notes were incorporated into a slideshow that played throughout the second shift event, so that our housekeeping staff could see how much UNCG cares about them. Some notes even thanked people by name for their hard work, or cited specific instances in which the housekeeping staff was essential.

Housekeeping staff left both events feeling light and lifted, but not empty handed! WGSS students wrote over 200 notes of appreciation to the housekeeping staff and everyone in attendance left with a goodie bag filled with candy, hand warmers, buttons and a note of appreciation from a UNCG student showing just how much the campus cares. Hopefully this is the start of an annual, and everyday, tradition of appreciation and acknowledgement of the hardest working group on our  campus.