Jay's Field of Work

Jay's Field of Work

The life of the man who cleans Smith Hall

The sinks are filled with facial hair and excess toothpaste. The toilets remain unflushed; stalls without toilet paper. Some vomit still surrounds one of them. Trash is overflowing out of the can underneath the counter. A lingering smell of stale beer wafts through the air.

This is just another Monday morning in the bathrooms of Smith Hall. After a long weekend of partying, alcohol consumption and memorable events for the students, the aftermath in the men’s dorm seems like one out of any horror movie.

However, this is nothing new for Jay Field, the custodian assigned to Smith. A scene like this happens regularly, leaving him not surprised.

But this is not the beginning of his day - far from it, actually.

“My alarm goes off at 4:45 in the morning,” Field said. It takes him just under an hour to get ready and, “then I get to work about five minutes to six. When the clock strikes six, a meeting takes place between all of the members of the Physical Plant staff, which includes Field.

Smith is not his first stop after the meeting. Field begins his work in the University Relations office, making sure that the building and offices are clean for the 14, or so, workers. Physical Plant workers get a 15-minute break at eight, and then for Field, it is off to deal with the mess and destruction that await him in Smith. He grabs a trash bag, picks up a pair of blue gloves and puts his headphones. Nothing can stop him now.

First, the garbage is removed. Then the toilets are cleaned. The sinks come after that. And the final mop is run across the ground. A shiny, clean bathroom now emerges from the horror that once was.

For Field, Elon has only been home for just over a year. He joined the staff in January 2015 looking for a change in pace from the automobile repair business, something he had been in for about the last 30 years.

Even though he moved all over the East Coast when he was younger, Field calls Greensboro home. After high school, Field started working at his father’s Midas Muffler shop in Greensboro. He spent his time repairing cars and doing various forms of automobile work. He even tried branching out and starting his own auto-repair business. But that turned out to not be an economically viable option.

But, nothing compares to that Elon charm. “I love the location, the change of pace, and that I’m close to home,” Field said. “I like interacting with the students. I like the stable work environment. There are excellent benefits, the faculty and staff are all very welcoming, and there is room for advancement.”

At 54, Field still feels young at heart. The self-described “jack-of-all-trades” has been married twice, and has two stepchildren and one step-grandson.

During any given week, Field works about 45 hours, a light load compared to what he had been working when he was in the auto-repair industry. Weeks would require he work 60 to even 80 hours, making sure that all the cars had been looked at and serviced accordingly.

“I’m happy with my job,” Field said. “I’m willing to the extra mile to make Smith better.”

[endif]--Although the work may be shorter, overtime is not something unfamiliar. Five or six days a week require that Field stay here longer. However, he doesn’t mind staying a little extra time to make sure the job gets done.

But when the time finally comes to call it quits, Field has many interests. “Most of the time, if I’m not out working in the yard, I live in the middle of the woods,” Field said. “There’s always sticks to be picked up and leaves to be blown. I like playing the guitar. I like video editing and coming up with graphic arts.”

But as the sun rises on a new day, Field sets aside his hobbies and looks forward to the day ahead at the workplace he loves, ready for the challenges that await him and the smiling faces that greet him.

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