12,000 chairs, 190 workers, one Elon University graduation.
When more than 1,000 Elon seniors in the Class of 2014 graduate Under the Oaks on the morning of Saturday, May 24, hundreds of hours of work will have already gone into preparing for them to receive their diplomas.
Nearly 200 Physical Plant employees — both full-time and part-time — will play an active role in everything from hanging flower baskets to placing chairs with “military precision” under the shade of the oak trees according to Robert Buchholz, director of the physical plant.
“As exams are finishing up, we’re getting in and making sure everything looks bright and shiny for parents coming in and alumni to go through places that they have gone through before,” he said.
It was especially important for the groundskeepers to tend to Elon’s flowers and lawns after the past unusually harsh North Carolina winter paid its toll not only in canceled classes, but also in damages to the campus’ carefully-tended plants.
“It’s tough when there’s a rough winter,” Buchholz said. “It means the grass and everything else doesn’t start growing right away.”
Members of the Physical Plant’s grounds-crew began spreading grass seed and working on irrigation systems in March, before winter was really over.
To accommodate the friends, family members and other well-wishers of the Class of 2014, Physical Plant places more than 1,000 chairs for commencement. Workers began setting up on Reading Day, which was Wednesday, May 14, to ensure the chairs are ready for the ceremony Saturday.
At the same time, regular Physical Plant operations — checking trash cans and bathrooms during the day and cleaning high-traffic areas — remain underway with a three-shift system that covers all 24 hours in a day.
It’s important to maintain day-to-day chores, Buchholz said, because the university doesn’t have much of a break after commencement before summer students move in, as well as some of those studying for the North Carolina Bar Exam or their MBA certification through the university.
Immediately following commencement, Physical Plant employees will move in and begin breaking down many of the chairs set out to provide a smaller venue for the Elon University School of Law’s own graduation ceremony later that same day.
In the parking lot outside Whitley, limited, reserved parking is available for handicapped persons attending commencement. In addition, Physical Plant employees will be operating a shuttle system of bus and golf cart cycles to accomdate visitors who park farther from the area Under the Oaks.
Those seeking accommodations can contact the Physical Plant at any time before Saturday, though the spaces available are limited, and the reserved parking spaces tend to fill up fast.