UBC Reports | Vol. 47 | No. 08 | April
19, 2001
A ‘little knowledge of cleaning’ goes a long way
by Hilary Thomson staff writer
Working as head bartender on Fiji might seem like a fantasy job for
many, but for Michael Khan the opportunities waiting in Canada
proved more attractive.
Khan arrived here in 1974, and after spending two years as a
bartender in Vancouver’s
Hyatt Hotel, he happened to visit the Museum of Anthropology.
“I took a look around and became very keen — this was a beautiful place,”
says Khan who soon got a job as a janitor with `little knowledge of cleaning’
as he puts it.
He is now UBC’s head service worker and for 18 years has
been a supervisor
of 45 custodial staff.
He is responsible for custodial services at about 40 per cent of
all buildings
on the west side of campus, including Cecil Green Park, Norman
MacKenzie House
and the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Issues.
He also sets up major ceremonies on campus that can include visits by world
leaders.
“A highlight was meeting Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton,” says
Khan who helped
with the arrangements when the then presidents’ 1993 Vancouver
Summit took place
at UBC.
The ability to handle a myriad of details is daily fare for a man who must
provide everything from gigantic tents to umbrella stands.
One of his biggest yearly challenges is the set-up for
Congregation ceremonies,
which he has seen grow from a three-day event at War Memorial Gym to
22 ceremonies spanning a week at the Chan Centre for the Performing
Arts. Thousands
of parents, students, faculty and dignitaries move through the building and
it has to be spotless with only limited time for cleaning between ceremonies.
“Mike is a wonderful ambassador for his department and for UBC during
Congregation,” says Ceremonies manager Eilis Courtney. “He’s invaluable to
us.”
Maintaining modern buildings is a simple job he says compared to cleaning the
former Second World War army huts that served as classrooms when he first
arrived at UBC.
In addition to his supervisory duties, Khan makes time for his involvement with
UBC’s United Way campaign.
UBC is also where Khan met his wife, Fernanda, who works at UBC Bookstore and to whom he has been married five years.
“This is the greatest job — I meet so many people. I have no complaints at
all.”
