October 2 is National Custodians Day. It is a day to recognize our hard-working custodians that keep our spaces and workplaces clean and sanitary. The custodians in Building Services make up the largest service department on campus. With nearly 300 employees, the group is present in every building on campus. Custodians work around the clock and with great care to keep our campus beautiful.
On National Custodian Day, we encourage you to show your appreciation to the custodians in your life. On this page you'll find...
- Our Thank a Custodian form to share a kind word with a custodian in Facilities.
- Ideas to show your appreciation.
- People behind the title; meet some of our custodians and learn what respect means to them.
- A few notes of appreciation to our custodians shared from members of our community.
Did you Know?
- The word custodian comes from the Latin word 'custos', which translates as 'guardian'.
- Merriam-Webster defines custodian as: one that guards and protects or maintains
- There are currently more than 1,440,000 custodians employed in America, 64.4% of those are men, and 35.6% are women.
Thank a Custodian!
Ideas to show your appreciation
Thank your custodian
- Share your kind words using our Thank a Custodian! form, or in person, or in any format.
- Leave an occasional thank you note.
Do something nice for your custodian
- Bake a cake, grab a gift card, or simply write a note in order to show the custodians in your life that you care.
- Learn their names (list of custodians by college/dorm) and get to know them.
- Keep them in mind while planning staff events, not just as the cleaning crew, but as valued members of the whole team.
Organize a group thank you
- Organize a coffee break, a pot luck, or any group activity to show your appreciation.
- Organize a meet & greet to introduce your custodians to the people in your building/dorm.
Be a little more clean
- When we stop and remember that someone has to come and clean up after the mess we make, there's a good chance we'll put forth a little extra effort to tidy up after ourselves.
Get to know some of our custodians
Meet some of the people behind the custodian role, and hear what respect means to them. The OneRespect poster campaign was created by a TigerChallenge team to help increase respect for service staff on campus. The posters aim to make our invisible service staff visible, and to share their various definitions of respect. We keep adding more custodian posters each year.
Tip: a thank you and a hello are always welcome!
A Few Notes from our Campus Community
You are vital to the mission of Princeton University and to the success of all who encounter you. Thank you!
- Katie Callow-Wright, Executive Vice President
Thank you for you hard work every day. We greatly appreciate what you do for us students and our living spaces.
-Student
A HUGE thank you for all you do for our students, faculty and staff. We are grateful for your commitment to us, you are the unsung heroes that work tirelessly keep our buildings safe, clean and tidy. We could not function without you! Thank you so very much!
- The CBE Residents
I am sure we've said ‘Hi’ to each other when you come to clean our lab or in the hallways, late at night. But, I am so glad that today I have an opportunity to thank you for cleaning our lab. You are hidden from mainstream time, but please know that your work is appreciated when we come everyday to a mopped lab and clean trash bins. It is a big contributor to our mental health to do good science in a well-maintained environment. Thank you!
-Mansha Seth-Pasricha
Just want to thank all of our custodial workers for all they do for us every day. They may not hear it enough but they are all a critical part of keeping Mol-Bio running smoothly. I am grateful for what you all do for us.
-Mo-Bio