Alexa Valadez
Staff Writer
Pepperdine University is known best for its breathtaking views and beautiful landscapes. This beauty does not come naturally, though, and takes a significant amount of money, as well as work, to achieve.
Most students have heard rumors of what ridiculous sums of cash are spent on palm trees and landscaping, and they have done a great deal of complaining in response. Not as many students, however, know much about who maintains this magnificent campus.
The department of Facilities Management and Planning, FM&P, directed by Rick Leach, is charged with the daunting and endless task of caring for the 800 acres of Pepperdine property.
Miguel Silva, one of many Facilities Management and Planning employees, has been working at Pepperdine for 16 years. “It is a beautiful area. You don’t get bored,” said Silva. He enjoys being able to work outside and in the fresh air instead of being “caged up” indoors.
A native of El Salvador, a small country in Central America, Silva made the move to the United States in 1980. Like many other immigrants, Silva came to the U.S. looking for a better life, hoping to benefit from the innumerable opportunities this country offers.
A typical day for Silva begins at 5:30 a.m., long before most students wake up for annoying 8 a.m. classes. At around 6:10, he leaves his Hawthorne home and embarks on the 50-minute commute to Malibu. Five days a week, from 8 in the morning until 4:45 in the afternoon, Silva may be found working around campus.
FM&P employees perform a variety of jobs, from collecting the trash bags in the apartments and dorms to doing maintenance work to gardening. At the end of the day, Silva returns home–a process that takes roughly an hour and a half to two hours with rush-hour traffic. With spare time on weekends, Silva likes to relax and have fun, listen to music or occasionally go dancing.
Magno Riva, who also works for FM&P, has been working at Pepperdine for nine years. Like Silva, Riva came to the United States from El Salvador in “search of a better future” for himself and his family.
Riva is married, and has four daughters. His youngest daughter is 6 years old, and his eldest is 21. With an undeniable twinkle of pride in his eye, Riva explains that his daughter is studying in Sylmar and is interested in becoming a doctor. He thinks she would like Pepperdine, but also knows it is a very expensive school.
Riva resides in Arleta, in the San Fernando Valley. Over the summer, he and his family visited El Salvador, a country whose beauty he says is unequivocal. One of his daughters, he explained, enjoyed it so much she asked to stay longer.
On most mornings, Riva may be spotted on Greek Row or working along the slopes that surround the track. Both of these men have been working at Pepperdine for years, keeping its grass green and its bushy hills under control.
During one afternoon break, they crack jokes and poke fun at each other over slices of juicy, red watermelon in Rho parking lot. “No, no,” they say, “ask him questions! It’s his turn now!” Other FM&P workers stop by, saying hello as they drive off to take care of whatever needs to be done to keep Pepperdine perfectly presentable.
All too soon, break time is over, and they must return to work. They gradually go their respective ways, waving goodbye and laughing about something that was said earlier.
It quickly becomes evident that the FM&P employees are much more than just co-workers are. They are friends. It is impossible to grasp the dynamics of their friendships, however, from just walking past them on the way down to main campus.
They see students trek up and down Dorm Road everyday, but are not always seen. The grass-green colored uniforms they wear unfortunately allow them to blend into their surroundings, but there is no reason to disregard their existence.
They will often take a moment in their busy days to speak to students, talk about life, ask how school is going, or just to wave hello. They enjoy being spoken to, and appreciate a students attempt to put simple Spanish skills into practice.
Riva enjoys taking a moment from his busy day to have a conversation with students. Whether in passing or during a break, he is always willing to talk. This reporter often runs into him on Friday afternoon before he goes home for the weekend. We’ll have a quick chat about home, El Salvador and it’s delicious food, how each other’s family is doing, just anything at all, while he works. It’s almost like having an extra older brother or dad around to talk to.
It makes Pepperdine feel more like home. Like friendly neighbors, FM&P workers are there, saying, “Have a good day!”
FM&P workers are more than mere employees. They are part of the greater Pepperdine community. “We are all united, employees of the university,” said another FM&P employee, Augustin Rodriguez, “from professors to housekeeping.”
They are here not only to do a job, but also to make sure that the grandeur of Pepperdine University be a daily inspiration to all its students.
Pepperdine University’s beauty is not just a gift from God; it is a product of the hard work and dedication of FM&P workers.
10-15-2006