Pollinator Declines
Many pollinator populations, including the Monarch Butterfly population, are declining. Pollinators spread pollen between flower species and are critical to our ecosystem. Habitat loss is one of the major factors contributing to the pollinator decline. To combat these declines in the Monarch population, the OU Environmental Concerns Committee has developed a campus butterfly habitat.
Jennifer Wise Butterfly Garden
A section of the Sarkeys Energy Center Rooftop Garden has now been designated the Jennifer Wise Butterfly Garden. This project was headed by Bruce Hoagland, Geography Professor within the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, Bret Betnar, College of Architecture, OU Landscaping Services, and Allison Richardson, Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy. The garden contains over 200 milkweeds, as well as other pollinator-friendly plants. The garden also contains walkways and stone benches to foster areas of congregation. The garden is now recognized as a Monarch waystation––a place that provides sufficient resources for Monarch butterflies to reproduce and complete their migrations.
FM Involvement
The University’s Landscaping Department was critical in the construction of the Jennifer Wise Butterfly Garden. The client provided sketches of their vision for the garden and the Landscaping Department demolished the existing landscaping at the site, shaped the area to properly shed water, and installed the required irrigation as well as pathways and benches. After the client planted their desired plants, the Landscaping Department then laid the mulch. Landscaping’s Gardening Team also helped coach the client during the planting process.
The game day experience at OU is truly unique. On game day in Norman, you can find cheerful tailgaters, excited students, and devoted OU Football fans roaming the campus in anticipation for the game. However, getting the campus prepared for tens of thousands of visitors is not as simple as it may appear. It takes hundreds of personnel and days of set up in order to get the OU campus prepared for so many visitors. Among these personnel are Facilities Management’s own team members. Within FM, shops such as Roads and Hauling, Electric, Elevator, Plumbing, Air Conditioning, Zone Maintenance, Landscape, Custodial, and Refuse and Recycling all take part in ensuring that OU Football fans have the best gameday experience possible.
Roads and Hauling
The Roads and Hauling Shop is responsible for coordinating the placement of fifty jersey bearers and seven drive through bearers, which creates a secure perimeter around the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Prior to the game, Roads and Hauling crews set out various bearers to complete the secure perimeter. After the game is over, they remove the bearers to open the flow of traffic. They also set up Type-3 barricades around the campus area for traffic control and provide portable light towers for pedestrian traffic on Jenkins Ave between the Stadium and the Lloyd Noble Center. In addition, the department completes street sweeping on campus prior to and after the games. The Roads and Hauling crew also make themselves available to the Athletic department to fulfill any other needs on game day that may pop up.
Electric Shop
The Electric Shop provides temporary power to the home team players to cool the benches on the sideline. They also provide a field-level sound system for the football players’ warm-up music and for various special events during the football season. Another responsibility the Electric Shop takes on is that they monitor the various fire alarm systems throughout the Stadium at one central location. During the game, the fire alarm systems are operated in silent mode. If the system goes into alarm, a technician is dispatched to verify the alarm. Lastly, the Electric Shop responds to various emergency calls as needed during football games.
Elevator
The Elevator Shop maintains nineteen elevators and two escalators in the stadium and two elevators in the Asp parking garage adjacent to it. They work with the OU ROTC and the Stadium staff that operate the elevators on game day. The Elevator Shop supports the Electric Shop with the setup and tear down of the field-level sound system. The Elevator Shop also responds to various elevator emergency calls as needed during football games.
Plumbing
The Plumbing Shop coordinates with OUPD to setup and tear down a movable motor-vehicle barricade system at Boyd St and Asp Ave on game days. Plumbing shop responds to various emergency calls as needed during football games.
Air Conditioning
The Air coordinates with the Plumbing shop to setup and tear down a movable motor vehicle barricade system at Boyd St and Asp Ave on game days. Prior to and during the game, the Air Conditioning Shop reviews the HVAC systems using the Facilities Management building automation system to verify that all systems are operational. The Air Conditioning Shop also responds to various emergency calls as needed during football games.
Zone Maintenance
The Zone Maintenance team is responsible for patrolling the Stadium perimeter to locate improperly secured items. If items are found improperly secured, they are removed and taken to the Facilities Management Compound for safekeeping. Zone Maintenance team members also check for over-filled recycling containers and empty them as needed.
Landscape
Landscape Maintenance helps the Refuse and Recycling Shop set out and retrieve dumpsters before and after games. The Gardening Shop comes in on Sundays after the game for about four hours to pick up any trash left from the game. Three members from the Irrigation Shop locate irrigation lines before the football season for tents and during the season for media. They also shut off the surrounding water in the area to prevent usage during events.
Custodial
The Custodial shop cleans the football personnel spaces, before, during, and after the game for the football personnel spaces. This includes offices, locker rooms, weight rooms, meeting rooms, medical areas, and the Barry Switzer Lobby. Around ten custodians clean those spaces Friday nights and Saturday nights. During the game, three custodians stay on the south endzone to clean each time the team leaves the locker room. Two custodians are stationed at the stadium compactors to help sort trash and recycling into their respective containers. Additionally, there are two custodians on the academic campus to help monitor the restrooms and trash prior to kick-off.
Refuse and Recycling
The Refuse and Recycling Shop, with the assistance of custodial, places trash and recycling barrels across campus on Friday mornings for tailgaters and visitors. The team also places roll-offs and dumpsters around the Stadium for trash and recycling collection from inside of and outside of the Stadium. On Sundays, the team collects the barrels and trash from outside the Stadium.
Sustainability Project
OUFM’s Energy Management and Sustainability division has implemented a project aiming to evenly redistribute recycling infrastructure within campus facilities and place educational signage on accepted and non-accepted materials. This sustainability project supports Energy Management and Sustainability’s operational commitment to divert a greater portion of our waste from the landfill. The purpose of this process is to increase the volume of collected recyclable materials, reduce the contamination of materials disposed of improperly, and ultimately make it easier for all building occupants to have access to recycling infrastructure.
Where to Access Recycling on the OU Campus
This project has been implemented in the following buildings: Carson Engineering Center, Felgar Hall, Engineering Lab, Gallogly Hall, Sarkeys Energy Center, Rawl Engineering Practice Facility, Devon Energy Hall, Wagner Hall, Adams Hall, Price College, Dale Classroom, Dale Tower, Kaufman Hall, Richards Hall, George Lynn Cross Hall, Gould Hall, Catlett Music Center, Gaylord College, Bizzell Memorial Library. To find a recycling station near you, visit the Campus Sustainability Map.
Transitioning from Lockshop to Access Control
Introducing... Access Control! The FM Lockshop has now merged with SoonerCard, forming Access Control. Previously, the Lockshop performed all physical security services involving physical keys and door hardware. SoonerCard was responsible for all services involving electronic access plans and badge readers. The Lockshop has now taken on electronic badge reader installations and has rebranded as Access Control. This streamlines the process of hard keys and electronic access as it is now all completed through one department. In an effort to improve customer service, the Access Control shop was moved right next to Felgar Street with visitor parking just west of the building. The rebranding of the Lockshop as Access Control was overseen by Chris George, Manager, Access Control and Logan Byers, Supervisor, Access Control.
More About Access Control
Access Control is responsible for the physical security of the OU Norman Campus. They deal with every level of access on campus. Some of their services include locksmithing, cutting keys, service on all door hardware, installing electronic badge readers, and more. Access Control services should be requested through FixIt.OU.edu. For all other inquiries, Access Control can be reached at ouaccesscontrol@ou.edu or (405) 325-4392. Access Control is located at 160 Felgar St. at the OU Norman campus. Their hours are 7:30am-9:30 am.
Experience more transparency from your service requests than ever before with our new service request feature: FixIt.OU.edu! FixIt.OU.edu is the new online platform for submitting service requests at the University of Oklahoma. The feature assigns each individual request an identification number and delivers live updates right to the user’s inbox. The FixIt portal also gives the user the ability to comment on the request through the portal.
Developing FixIt
Manager Kyle Isenhour and Systems Analyst Sophia Hacker of the Business Operations Department are responsible for developing this feature. Previously, customers could only submit a service request through an online form or phone call, which then had to be transposed into a work order. FixIt eliminates this extra step and provides more transparency on the status of the request to the customer. More updates are expected to come for this feature.
How to Use FixIt
FixIt is live and can be used now by the entire OU community. The feature can be accessed on the OU Facilities website or by visiting FixIt.OU.edu. FixIt should be used for every kind of service request for maintenance, landscape, custodial, or other service needs. If you do not see a specific service listed on the website, there is a General Request Form for all other maintenance requests. You must have been assigned OU 4x4 credentials to access FixIt. Customers without OU credentials should submit a service request by emailing facilities@ou.edu or by calling Customer Service at (405) 325-3060.
