When Sue Walker arrived at Elon University, many of the buildings on campus didn't exist. Back then, the library was in McEwen Communications building, the student center, nurse's station and bookstore were all located in Long and there were only six buildings in Danieley Center. The Environmental Services employee has seen Elon's student population double, from about 2,500 to more than 5,000.
Walker, known to most of Virginia and West's residents as "Sue" or "Miss Sue," has been working at Elon for 26 years and in West Area for the past decade. Her job includes cleaning the bathrooms of West and the halls of Virginia, but, in addition to her duties, she also gets to know her residents.
"One of my favorite things about working at Elon is meeting and interacting with students," Walker said. "I like to think I (look out for the students). I like to think if one of them came to me and asked me for advice, I think I would try to talk to them just like they were one of my grandchildren."
During her time here, Walker's family has quadrupled in size, from her four children to nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
According to sophomore Rachel Flint, a resident of Virginia, Walker's family values show through in her other interactions at Elon.
"She is a motherly figure," Flint said. "She's got a very warm heart and she's open to everybody whether she knows you or not. She's one of those people that you remember how they made you feel more than what they said."
Flint met Walker on move-in day this year and they participated in Elon's Take a Student to Lunch program earlier this month. There, the two talked about family, the holidays and Flint's plans to transfer back to Guilford College, where she attended school last year, at the end of the semester.
"There's a handful of people that are the best people I've ever met in my life here," Flint said. "She's probably one of those people. I told her I was going to shrink her and take her to Guilford in my pocket."
Several of Walker's coworkers can attest to Walker's kind nature. Denise Haith, fellow Environmental Services employee, described Walker as "caring, friendly and easy to get along with."
"Sue is a kind-hearted woman who cares a lot for her students and is sometimes misunderstood for the care she has," said Scott Hendershot, assistant director of West Area.
Flint agrees that sometimes students can be a bit too quick to roll their eyes at Walker but feels for the most part that students appreciate her.
"I think (some students) take her for granted and they think she's going to be there no matter what," Flint said. "I'm a very firm believer in (the idea that) people are all very special and they all have a different something to offer the world. (Walker's) something is a something that everybody can learn from and grow from." Walker said she is glad that Elon has not had to cut back on employees because of the current economy and is thankful to have her job at Elon.
"I've had good experiences and some bad experiences," Walker said. "I've met a lot of professor's friends when I worked in Fine Arts. Elon's just a good place to work. They've been good to me."