UC Davis Custodial Teams Awarded for Pandemic Cleaning Services

Two UC Davis custodial teams—Facilities Management and Student Housing and Dining Services—have been named the recipients of the university’s Staff Assembly 2021–22 Citation of Excellence team award.

The two teams, consisting of 350 total members, were honored for delivering exceptional service to university students and staff throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This award recognizes individuals and staff teams who have demonstrated outstanding achievements that go above and beyond the requirements outlined in their position descriptions,” said Jennifer Jackson, 2021–22 UC Davis Staff Assembly chair. “Given what these teams have done for the health and safety of our community, it’s difficult to imagine a more qualified recipient.”

In 2020, more than 50 team members volunteered to clean and sanitize UC Davis Health in Sacramento, as well as student housing used for quarantine and on-campus isolation purposes. The teams later expanded their operations to deliver COVID-19 testing and vaccinations at multiple locations throughout the school’s Davis, California campus.

“Day in and day out, with no opportunity to work from home, these teams showed up to work in person, every single day,” said Kirsten DePersis, executive director of operations for UC Davis Facilities Management. “Classes were remote, but our laboratories and researchers remained, and our hospital—faced with critical staffing shortages—urgently needed their assistance.”