This past week’s Rose Cafe featured Cornell Facilities Manager, Anthony McCabe, as he spoke about the effort that goes on behind the scenes on West Campus to make it as comfortable and homely as it can feel to us. Mr. McCabe spoke to us about the immense amount of communication and coordination between the staff that this work required, priding himself on his focus on speaking with his staff and always keeping tabs with them. Above all, Mr. McCabe was very interested in our feedback and questions we had about facilities operations. As he wrote down each point brought up, I was greatly comforted by his care and attention to detail.

Immediately after the session with Mr. McCabe, I noticed all the work and found myself thinking about all the planning that must be done by the facilities staff. This new knowledge gave me a fresh take on the place I had been living in for half a year, one that made it feel even more like home because I truly felt the care provided by the men and women that work behind the scenes day in and day out.

The following time that my bathroom was cleaned, I noticed something different. The trashcan, that had until now been placed directly below the hand dryer, had been moved to another corner of the bathroom. I smiled and thought to how the issue had been brought up by someone else in the cafe session that the hand dryer blew tissue paper out of the bin and onto the bathroom floor creating a mess that often exited to the hallway. This previously unnoticeable act had great meaning since I had been made aware of the great amount of respect and care we are treated with by these silent heroes of West Campus.