PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 24, No. 16, March 3, 2005

On the job: Sandra Washington

By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor
217-244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu

Click photo to enlarge Photo by Clark Brooks Sandra Washington is a clerical assistant in the Service Office for the Division of Facilities & Services.

“Who Can I Run To” is the title of a song that Sandra Washington sang when she entertained at the Facilities & Services’ Service and Employee Recognition Banquet in December. The title seems fitting for Washington’s “other gig” – answering the pleas of harried faculty and staff members and students who call the F&S Service Office for assistance with problems that range from malfunctioning projector screens to mysterious odors and icy sidewalks. Washington, a clerical assistant, started her career with the university about 10 years ago in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Tell me about your job.
Anything that could possibly go wrong on campus comes through this office: from toilets to ceiling tiles to ice on stairs and sidewalks. People call us for repairs, when they need to dig, or when they need fans or fire alarms shut down, to clean up spills. We reroute their calls to the correct people.

We get some really strange calls sometimes, and sometimes it’s confusing because the caller is trying to describe the problem but doesn’t know the terminology, and we’re not sure what they’re talking about.

We get calls to remove dead animals. We also get calls about lost property – computers, necklaces, keys – sometimes because people have dropped their keys or IDs down elevator shafts. Sometimes we get calls about unusual odors; sometimes they’re coming from the farms, and people on campus don’t know what it is.

What do you like most about your job?
My job was really hard for me at first because it consisted of so much. It took me about six or seven years to get comfortable. But I like it now because I finally got a feel for what I’m doing. I work with great people. Everybody around here is just like family.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Satisfying the customers. We do the best that we can to get what they need done, but a lot of times we don’t have control of when things are done. But it’s fun.

A lot of customers know us by name and we recognize their voices because we’ve talked to them for so many years. From time to time, one of them will come to our window and introduce themselves, and it’s nice to be able to put a face with the name.

Tell me about your career at the university.
I started working as extra help in the National Animal Poison Control Center in the College of Veterinary Medicine. I went through the learner trainee program and became permanent. When the poison control center left the university, I chose to stay with the university, and I’m glad I did.

How long have you been a singer?
I’ve been singing since I was a little child: in churches, at weddings and funerals. I sang at a party at the American Legion Post 71 in Urbana in celebration of my brother’s group, ToMaxx, releasing their CD. I started singing in church as a trio with my two cousins. When they lost interest, I became a soloist. I sing a variety of things: gospel, rhythm and blues, a little jazz and contemporary music.

At the Facilities & Services banquet in December, I sang Natalie Cole’s “Inseparable” a capella to the oldest married couple and an R&B song, “Who Can I Run to.”

Last Friday, at a co-workers’ birthday party, I sang “Happy Birthday” and Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You,” which I dedicated to two men from their wives. It was spontaneous; I just walked in and was told, ‘You’re going to sing!’ That was fun.

We older musicians, we have the talent, but we have nowhere to go. We’d like to get a little exposure too, even if we don’t “make it” in the music industry, even if it were just a yearly talent show or something for people in our area.

Besides singing, what other hobbies do you have?
I play bingo, and I spend a lot of time with my two girls, who are ages 13 and 7. They keep me busy, especially with their age difference. I go to concerts, and I love to read mysteries. I like trying to figure out who did the crime.

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