[morganmeehan]

Hi Katie,

We had a vendor reach out to us a few years ago from Cannon Solutions America for ‘Whiz Robotic Vacuum’. We coordinated a demo with them and we were impressed but ultimately decided against it at the time. With similar staffing challenges to what you’ve described, it’s come back up on our list as an option.? I can send you the vendor information and proposal for you to look at. Otherwise, have you thought about asking clients to just not make a mess…?

-Morgan

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Morgan Meehan
Director, Popp Martin Student Union & Cone University Center
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Charlotte NC
(615) 714-7316
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-24-2024 09:38
From: Katie Beaulieu
Subject: Thinking outside the box on carpet cleaning

Hi colleagues,

With custodial gaps and challenges with getting our new student staff cleared throughout hiring process, we’re looking for creative solutions to keep up with the daily needs for vacuuming.

Considering getting a self-emptying roomba to deploy in our event spaces during off-hours. Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions?

Katie

——————————
Katie Beaulieu
Director, Student Center & Campus Reservations
Wayne State University
Detroit MI
(313) 577-0077
——————————

[allisonvandenberg]

Hi Katie,

We started using robotic vacuums in some of our spaces this past year for the same reason. They’re not self-emptying, but they still free up our team members to focus on other spaces while they’re running. You can read about them here including the model that was purchased and the fun names for them the students came up with. They’re built for commercial use, and I think they’re doing pretty well in our spaces. Let me know if you’d like more specific information.?

Good luck!
Allison

——————————
Allison Van den Berg
Assistant Director, Operations & Student Development
North Carolina State University
Raleigh NC
acvanden@ncsu.edu
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 09-24-2024 09:38
From: Katie Beaulieu
Subject: Thinking outside the box on carpet cleaning

Hi colleagues,

With custodial gaps and challenges with getting our new student staff cleared throughout hiring process, we’re looking for creative solutions to keep up with the daily needs for vacuuming.

Considering getting a self-emptying roomba to deploy in our event spaces during off-hours. Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions?

Katie

——————————
Katie Beaulieu
Director, Student Center & Campus Reservations
Wayne State University
Detroit MI
(313) 577-0077
——————————

[Adriane Reilly]

Kudos to the NC State staff who made it fun and asked the student employees to name the robots! Reading this made my morning:

“Meryl Sweep and Dustin Bieber were the winning names of a contest held by Student Centers in August. The department’s student employees were asked to submit their most creative name ideas for the vacuums. ‘We had some really great runners-up,’ said Allison van den Berg, assistant director for operations and student development. ‘Optimus Grime was a close third and a staff favorite since many of us are Transformers fans.'”

——————————
Adriane Reilly, Ed.D.
Associate Director of Sykes Student Union
West Chester University
West Chester, PA
areilly@wcupa.edu
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——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 09-26-2024 01:35
From: Allison Van den Berg
Subject: Thinking outside the box on carpet cleaning

Hi Katie,

We started using robotic vacuums in some of our spaces this past year for the same reason. They’re not self-emptying, but they still free up our team members to focus on other spaces while they’re running. You can read about them here including the model that was purchased and the fun names for them the students came up with. They’re built for commercial use, and I think they’re doing pretty well in our spaces. Let me know if you’d like more specific information. 

Good luck!
Allison

——————————
Allison Van den Berg
Assistant Director, Operations & Student Development
North Carolina State University
Raleigh NC
acvanden@ncsu.edu
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 09-24-2024 09:38
From: Katie Beaulieu
Subject: Thinking outside the box on carpet cleaning

Hi colleagues,

With custodial gaps and challenges with getting our new student staff cleared throughout hiring process, we’re looking for creative solutions to keep up with the daily needs for vacuuming.

Considering getting a self-emptying roomba to deploy in our event spaces during off-hours. Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions?

Katie

——————————
Katie Beaulieu
Director, Student Center & Campus Reservations
Wayne State University
Detroit MI
(313) 577-0077
——————————