By Tammy Neely

Contributing Writer

The sun is up. The breeze flows by. You can smell fall in the air. But rest assured that there will not be any piles of leaves to jump into. Southeastern’s Grounds Department has a close eye on keeping our campus beautiful.

Director of the SE Physical Plant Eddie Harbin is responsible for grounds maintenance, buildings maintenance and custodial around campus. There are three other full-time and three part-time employees to upkeep grounds along with two full-time landscaping employees, Harbin said.

This crew is always hard at work. For example, to mow the entire campus, Harbin said it takes seven mowers and 20 hours, for a total of 140 man hours.

Harbin has worked for SE for 26 years, but not only at Grounds. His first job was as a two-week temporary carpenter.

The six ground/ landscaping employees have been with SE for 30 years combined, Harbin said. Ages of these employees range from 40 to 77 years.

“Jessie Friar does a good job of taking care of the day operations of the Grounds Department,” Harbin said.

Friar is one of the retired part-time employees for the Physical Plant Department.

One of the most common questions the Grounds Department receives regards the fountain on the front lawn, which is not operational.

Harbin said that there are many reasons why the fountain is not in use, ranging from the pumps and mechanical system to leaks in the pool itself.

A new project the Grounds Department is currently engaged in is working with Landscape Architect Howard Fairbairn to plant new varieties of magnolias that

are better suited for Durant’s climate, Harbin said.

When asked if the grounds get littered, Harbin’s reply was, “More than it should.”

“I wouldn’t say just students,” said Harbin, “but just a couple of fast food bags left in a parking lot next to a vehicle that gets ran over or scattered by the wind makes quite a mess.”

According to Harbin, there are ways students can help. “I think the majority of students and staff take pride in a clean campus,” said Harbin. “If they speak up when they see someone leaving trash in a lot or throwing down a cigarette butt, it would send a message to the few that create a problem.

“For student groups that do service projects, taking ownership of a flower bed or picking up trash after football games could be helpful projects,” Harbin added.

Many members of the SE community have taken on such projects in the past.

For instance, the Student Senate along with the Alumni Association “have done a lot of work alongside our crew over the past year,” said Harbin.

Harbin also noted that the Green Club rehabbed the beds west of the Biological Science Building.

“We look forward to working with these, as well as any other groups interested, in the future,” said Harbin.

Photos 1 & 3 by Alisha Loyd

Photo 2 by Brandi Bunch