SULLIVAN RAY, Special to The Denisonian—
While Denison University senior Calvin Gray, 21, pursues his degree in political science and philosophy, he also works diligently cleaning classrooms to ensure the safety and health of students and staff during the pandemic. Gray comes to Denison from Cleveland, Ohio. When Gray is not fulfilling his academic obligations, he works as a Preventative Maintenance Technician (PMT) for the university. Gray has worked as a PMT at Denison for two consecutive years and dedicates 5-6 hours a week to this position.
Gray describes his job as a “responsibility,” and explains that there are crucial components to his position that ensure the educational process at Dension operates smoothly. On Denison’s website under the ITS Student Employment Tab, the job description for a PMT is to “help install and maintain audiovisual equipment in classrooms and computer labs.” Gray works specifically in the Eisner Center, and says that he “keeps the classroom environment functioning fluidly. Professors come in and assume that their resources all work as expected, such as the projectors.”
While the technology upkeep is a pivotal element of Gray’s position, Gray explained how the job took on a more important role with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Throughout the pandemic, especially last year, it has been very important that the rooms and computers are all clean.” In addition to ensuring that all of the technology is operating properly, Gray prioritizes the cleanliness of the classrooms and computers, as he cleans and sanitizes the monitors, keyboards, and other technology equipment that is frequently exposed to human contact. Ben Bonebrake, 21, is Gray’s roommate and close friend from Norwalk, Connecticut pursuing a major in political science. Bonebrake refers to Gray as a “hardworking and capable young man” and says he is “very comedic.” And Gray’s humor is evident. “In reality, I’m a man with two squirt bottles and two rags,” Gray says, referring to his position as a PMT. Another one of Gray’s friends, Michael Goldman, 21, is from Pelham, New York and is pursuing a major in health, exercise, and sports studies. Goldman echoes Bonebrake’s comments and says that Gray is a “smart guy who takes his job very seriously.”
While Gray is not performing his duties as a PMT on campus, he appreciates “his interpersonal connections” and “spending quality time with friends and family.” Interestingly, Gray loves to ride motorcycles in his free time. He even has his own Honda CB 919 on Denison’s campus that he purchased in August of 2017. At the age of 17, Gray’s passion for motorcycles was sparked by many members of his family who rode motorcycles. Many of his uncles on his mother’s side of the family frequently rode motorcycles and exposed Gray to the hobby, but his primary influence and inspiration came from his grandmother, Sandy.
Sandy, also a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, shares an affinity for motorcycles and completed a cross-country motorcycle trip at age 65. Gray’s parents, Bridget and George, were not thrilled when their son developed an interest in motorcycles. “My parents were very opposed to the idea of me getting into motorcycles, particularly purchasing one of my own.” Despite his parents’ opposition, Gray purchased his own motorcycle and became fully invested.
Gray is one of many Denison employees who help ensure that Denison’s campus functions as well as possible on a day-to-day basis. Gray takes pride in his position as a PMT, in his friends and family, and in his love for motorcycles. To quote Gray’s downplay, his position is much more complex and significant than just “a man with two squirt bottles and two rags.”