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Late nights on campus explored

With the moon out and students in bed, nightshift workers get to experience a completely different side of Bradley University.

“I like the night hours – I’m a night owl,” dining service worker Audrey Netter said. “During the daytime people are more uptight. At night people are looser.”

Night workers, from Cullom-Davis Library desk assistants to Markin Recreational Center receptionists, normally run through a typical shift without any hitches, but occasionally deal with the unexpected.

Throughout the week, night shifts at Markin are slow. Regular nights for employees in Markin include monitoring access to the building, providing sport equipment for students, overseeing events and occasionally calling the police.

“I’d have to call the police for intruders, it’s a normal thing to see,” senior community wellness major Dakota Bullard said. “If a person steals an ID and tries to come in, we call the police because it’s technically fraud.”

At the Cullom-Davis Library, the night is silent as students listen to their iPods or lecture videos, and the three library assistants on duty stand by patiently for signs of distress from students.

Andrew Silbaugh takes charge with the help of two other assistants. Silbaugh began working the 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. night shift at the library six months ago, describing the shift as quiet and tranquil.

“I’d be surprised if it [something outrageous] did occur, but I’m trained to handle whatever comes my way,” Silbaugh said.

While there might not be much going on at the library, the Michel Student Center awaits hungry students coming back from Markin Center or those crawling out of the resident halls for a midnight snack.

Dining service employee Kierra Nunn has worked at Bradley for over three years, working at the P.O.D., Geisert and Williams dining halls and other various locations across campus. She said she wipes down tables and chairs, makes sure the floor is presentable and greets customers. The night shifts vary, as it could be slow with three customers, or it could be 300 customers.

“I’ve had a lot of nights here,” Nunn said. “Recently, there’ve been lots of black-outs, everybody drunk. One-night students were parading around throwing guac, queso and playing Tupac all night. They were rapping it, singing it, so yeah that’s a typical crazy night for me but at the end of the night I make sure customers are happy entering and happy leaving.”

On the other end of the job spectrum, custodians can be found cleaning the academic buildings from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. in their respective areas.

Custodian Randy Johnson has worked for Bradley for two years. Johnson said things like to go bump in the night.

“One night we were sitting down in a room and heard footsteps through the hall, we went to go see if anyone was there, but no one was there,” Johnson said. “This wasn’t the first time, we heard that happen a few times from other people as well.”

Whether or not students know it, Bradley has its share of late night tales to tell.

One Comment

  1. Timothy Steele Timothy Steele September 21, 2015

    Well done, José! Keep the good work. Your summer reading of Moby Dick and other masterpieces is bringing big dividends. Tim Steele

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