Expand the section navigation mobile menu

Facilities Management

Facilities Management Building
411 Pioneer Drive
Rochester, MI 48309-4482
(location map)

Siraj Khan
Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
Oakland University
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401
(248) 370-2160

Facilities Management

Facilities Management Building
411 Pioneer Drive
Rochester, MI 48309-4482
(location map)

Siraj Khan
Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
Oakland University
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401
(248) 370-2160

Custodial and Grounds

As part of Oakland University's Facilities Management Group, the Custodial and Grounds Department consists of more than 50 highly dedicated and knowledgeable employees who are responsible for cleaning and maintaining campus buildings and grounds. We also are responsible for maintaining cleaning standards and contract compliance for our outsourced custodial cleaning services.

The Oakland University campus includes academic and auxiliary buildings that occupy approximately 2 million square feet. These and other buildings sit on approximately 1,400 acres that are professionally maintained and groomed. In addition, the Grounds Department is responsible for 268 acres of sports turf (athletics fields), 6,928 parking spaces in 26 parking lots, 4.78 miles of roads and 15 miles of sidewalk.

Campus Cleaning

The Campus Cleaning Department of Oakland University is made up of 67 dedicated and professional custodians (excluding Housing and the Oakland Center) servicing approximately one million square feet of learning, research and office space. We are proud of the work that we do, and we think it shows in creating an inviting and healthy environment for students and staff on a daily basis.

We are committed to a “cleaning for health” philosophy including the use of green or sustainable products and adhering to our green cleaning policy. Our policy was developed in accordance with the United States Green Building Council guidelines.

In addition, our campus cleaning staff recently completed a full day of training on the benefits of "going green" presented by Spartan Chemical and by Doug Sherry and Renae Hesselink from Nichols Corporation. Hesselink is the Vice President of Sustainability with Sherry, Chair of the United States Green Building Council of Western Michigan, United States Green Building Council West Michigan Green School Advocate and a Board Member on the Michigan Lean Consortium.

During this difficult time, every effort is made to provide a healthy environment. Here is a partial list of the service that we are proud to provide:

  • Sweeping and mopping classrooms, labs, offices, hallways, entrances, corridors and lobbies.
  • Vacuuming carpeted floors on a weekly basis.
  • Cleaning, disinfecting and restocking of all restrooms on a daily basis.
  • Emptying trash in academic and administrative areas on a daily basis.
  • Disinfecting all “high-touch” areas (door knobs, door handles, handrails, light switches, desktops, etc.) and increase the frequency of disinfecting during flu season.
  • Provide a quick to respond to reported emergencies.

Should you experience any problems with the cleaning service, contact Facilities Maintenance at (248) 370-2381.

In addition to sustainability efforts, Oakland University's Campus Cleaning Department is committed to achieving the highest cleanliness standard as defined by APPA (the Association of Physical Plant Administrators).

Useful links:
Custodial Task Frequencies at Oakland University
United States Green Building Council

Supervisors and custodians can access Classroom Support for room setup and chair counts here by using the drop-down menu.

Supervising Staff:

Douglas LaLone, Director of Facility Services, (248) 370-2388 (8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Mon-Fri)
Patti Nelson, First Shift Supervisor, (248) 370-2692, (6 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., Mon-Fri)
Mike Zinser, Second Shift Supervisor, (248) 370-2166 (2:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., Mon-Fri)
Anthony Carpenter, Third Shift Supervisor, (248) 370-2168, (9 p.m. - 5:30 a.m., Mon-Fri)
Kathryn Tarnaski, Manager, SSC, (248) 370-4970, (7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri)

Grounds

Oakland University's Grounds' Department is responsible for maintaining all campus green spaces, sidewalks, roads and parking lots. We take great pride in the University's appearance and recognize the importance of a healthy eco-system, especially as how it relates to student achievement. In addition to mowing, string trimming, tree removal and pruning, fertilizing, snow removal and salting, and campus beautification projects, we are responsible for the historic Matilda Wilson greenhouse located on East campus, where many of the plants used for convocation ceremonies and at Meadow Brook Hall are grown.

During the past four years our department has planted and nurtured four hundred new trees and shrubs, in addition to pruning countless others and removing trees that have either died or in severe decline due to disease and parasites. Many of the trees planted as part of our campus beautification plan are native to Michigan and to the soil types common to the area. Some recent examples include Japanese Snowbell and Kentucky Coffee Trees (shown below). Both of these species are extremely hardy, aesthetically pleasing and long-lived. During the fall of 2010, 80 trees are scheduled to be planted across campus and include river birch, chestnut oaks, white fringe trees, Norway spruces and a variety of maples.

Douglas LaLone, Director of Facility Services (248) 370-2388
TBD, Supervisor of Grounds Maintenance (248) 370-2413
Dave Ziehm, Mechanic, (248) 370-2167