On Wednesday, I attended the Rose Cafe where Chris VanDruff led a discussion on what it takes to keep West Campus in top-notch shape.  He first explained how he got his start at Cornell as a plumber, later transitioning to management as he earned a degree from the ILR school.  VanDruff also explained the variety of maintenance requests and projects he is responsible for, from simple fixes for lights and blinds to more complicated matters like renovating common areas in the Gothics.  

He discussed the challenges of responding to requests promptly while appropriately prioritizing them.  For example, he makes sure to respond to safety issues like a malfunctioning no-prop door right away.  However, he has a limited staff, so some non-urgent requests may take more time.  VanDruff also strives to judiciously spend his department budget, making decisions such as replacing old light fixtures with new ones that house LED bulbs instead of simply replacing the bulb: a higher upfront cost with future savings.  

VanDruff also highlighted the differences between the new West Campus buildings and the Gothics from his department’s perspective.  I was surprised to hear that he receives more maintenance requests from residents in the new buildings than the Gothics, mainly due to unforeseen problems following the rushed construction of some of the new buildings.  The Gothics, however, are the source of larger projects, like replacing failing slate tiles and renovating the common spaces.  

I was intrigued by his explanation of the air conditioning systems in the new buildings: they rely on chilled water pumped from Cayuga Lake.  This environmentally-friendly method saves about 80% of the energy needed for conventional air conditioning systems.  I searched online and found that this lake source cooling system serves 80 Cornell buildings (40% of the campus).  

VanDruff closed by emphasizing how his job is not only to keep West Campus well-maintained, but also to ensure student safety in the process.  He explained the thorough research involved in installing the security gates on Gothics Way (a joint effort with Dr. Blalock).  I am very grateful for the amazing maintenance staff that keep our buildings in great shape.  Overall, I really enjoyed these Rose Cafes that explored the ins and outs of Cornell.