Zak Wood / Colorado Daily

Suphi Homchanh, of CU's Facilities Management team.

On a daily basis, every student and faculty member at the University of Colorado enjoys meticulously clean and well-maintained facilities at every building on campus.

Rarely, however, do people pause to realize the amount of work that goes into accomplishing such a huge undertaking.

There are literally hundreds of people who carry out campus custodial services. The 20 people on staff at the University Memorial Center, for example, are responsible for cleaning and maintaining 263,000 square feet per day in just that building alone, according to Sunnie Gist, human resources training manager for CU Facilities Management.

"Every doorknob, every light fixture, every bathroom stall . . . nothing goes untouched that I've noticed," said Gist.

And there's much more to keeping the university spotless than meets the eye, according to Gist. Sure, a general state of cleanliness is pleasant to look at -- which makes a good impression on both students and campus visitors -- but keeping things clean and sanitary also helps prevent the spread of germs. That means, with a campus population closing in on 30,000 students, CU custodians are one of the first lines of defense in helping to keep people healthy.

Perhaps that's why, this week, campus officials have invited students to observe and applaud all of the hard work the custodial staff is doing to keep all of the building looking great as a part of "Custodian Appreciation Week."

"We wanted to recognize those employees who have one of the most overlooked jobs on campus," said Gist. "Sometimes, custodians don't feel appreciated -- but a little 'thank you' goes a long way."

Russell Chesnut, for example, has spent the last 13 years as a custodian at CU in the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, sweeping and mopping more than a football field's worth of tiled flooring in addition to a myriad of other duties each night.

For Chesnut, who earned a degree in Industrial Photography from Brooks Institute in California, working at the LASP keeps him in an environment where he is surrounded by ground-breaking technologies that he enjoys learning about, but it's the interaction with people that he enjoys the most.

"It's what's kept me going," said Chesnut, referencing the moments when the students and scientists sharing the building with him finally start to open up.

In fact, Chesnut joked that his main job around the LASP building was not as a custodian, but as "Father Confessor" because, over the years, other people working there have been known to confide in him.

"I basically talked a student out of quitting school and giving up his degree after his confidence when into the dumpster one night," said Chesnut.

But while a regular staff and consistent schedule helps to foster these exchanges for Chesnut at the LASP, he noted that most campus custodians do not share the experience. Mostly, they are left with only the messes of students to clean up after and have very little interaction with them on any other level.

This week, however, it is the goal of Gist and other campus officials, that students and faculty be a bit more aware of their beautiful surroundings, and the men and women who keep then that way.

"If you do see them, say 'Hi,' said Gist. "Even if there is a language barrier, 'hello' and 'thank you' are universal."