Little 500 creates more work for campus maintenance crews

Trampled flowerbeds along with an abundance of litter and chalk graffiti are some of most common sites students see around campus after the madness, as some students have described it, of Little 500 week subsides.

With the semester winding down and multiple events happening at once, the IU Department of Physical Plant Campus Division Manager Mike Girvin said Little 500 makes it easier for him and his crew to keep the campus looking clean.

“We certainly want the campus to look really good,” Girvin said. “With Little Five week so close to commencement, it gives us a reason to push along.”

Girvin said the main problem during Little 500 week is the amount of litter. He estimated there is 40-50 percent more litter than normal between the week of Little 500 and commencement.

“People are putting flyers up on car windows and polls around campus, so we have to do a lot more cleanup than normal,” Girvin said.

Around the time of the race, maintenance crews are in the middle of the flower-planting season.

“Sometimes it gets a little frustrating because we’ll get a lot of flowerbeds torn up and those kind of things, but we know that’s always the actions of a few and not the masses,” Girvin said.

Girvin said he and his crew will come in early on race days to oversee the trash pickup and look for any potential damage or problems.

“Collegiate fun is fun,” Girvin said. “Vandalism and damage — we won’t tolerate that.”

Though IU has had a problem in the past with students damaging and vandalizing the art around campus, Sherry Rouse, curator of campus art, said it hasn’t had any problems this year.

“I think the combination of a strong police presence and location has helped,” Rouse said. “Since the fountain is not on yet this year, that should help subdue would-be swimmers and fish-nabbers.”

The maintenance crews have been working hard this week to clean and emphasize the highly visible areas around campus.

“We’re accelerating a lot of the athletic venues,” Girvin said. “We’ll give them those added touches so they look as good as they possibly can.”

Though there is a lot of traffic during Little 500 week, Girvin said it’s not the most difficult maintenance week each year.

“The most challenging weeks are the week of move in and move out,” Girvin said. “The car gets full, so people just leave stuff all over the place.”

Though the week of Little 500 creates a lot of work for the maintenance crews, Girvin said he just wants the students to have fun and stay safe.

“Every year when my employees come in at 6 a.m. during Little Five week, we tend to find people sleeping under trees, under bushes and on sidewalks,” Girvin said. “We worry about them. We just don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”