How long have you been at SMCM?

Since February 6, 2008– my mom’s birthday!!

What path led you to St. Mary’s?

My sister-in-law, Mary Grube, told me about a job opening at the College.

What do you do by day?

By day we process the packages and mail we receive then after lunch we deliver the mail around campus. The best part to my day is not just sitting in the office but getting around to see everyone. What do you do with your evenings/weekends? My evenings are mostly spent getting home to my puppy, Duke (7 years old), making dinner with my mom, and taking Duke and my mom’s dog, Charlie, for a walk around St. George island. If I’m not going home, I’m meeting up with friends and/or other family.

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?

My favorite off-campus lunch spot would have to be Subway!!! I JUST LOVE THAT PLACE!!!

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you? v
That I’m one of five siblings- three boys and two girls! I’m the youngest girl.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?

I would have to say the most interesting job I had would be working at A Moment in Time, a horse stable where I started off just riding. After four years I was feeding and teaching riding lessons. I remember having students come from the College to learn how to ride. I believe students still go there.

How long have you been at SMCM?

9 months

What path led you to St. Mary’s?

Once I learned what an academic adviser was in undergraduate, I knew I wanted to be one, amongst a host of other things. While serving as an adjunct history professor at Essex County College in Newark, NJ, I was given the opportunity to become an academic adviser for the first time and fell in love with it completely.

What do you do by day?

I think, one of the coolest things in the world. I get to have conversations with students in hopes of finding out what they struggle with academically and sometimes personally, then determine what is the best course of action to take in order to alleviate or reduce the struggle, if possible, and finally assess their progress. At times I feel like a mechanic in a NASCAR pit, except I tighten up a student’s habits, mindset, and priorities.

What do you do with your evenings/weekends?

Evenings are simple: guitar, Redbox (soon NetFlix) then reading – usually in that order, too. I’ve been playing the guitar since high school; I get down with some classic rock and the blues. Movies are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I problem-solve all day, so I definitely enjoy, for lack of a better word, “stupid-funny” movies from time to time (Coming to America or Stepbrothers), in addition to a good drama, book adaptation, or biographical film. I have managed to amass quite the reading list for myself as a result of talking to students and my fellow colleagues. Weekends are simple too: Driving – I spend most of my weekends visiting my boo in Philly or my family in NJ, VA, or NC.

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?

I’m a fat kid so I have many favorites, but all depend on my budget that day: (1) Popeye’s (Chicken tenders w/ ranch dipping sauce, popcorn shrimp, and iced tea); (2) St. James Deli (if I’m kind of tight, just a pepperoni slice, if I can splurge, a Ciabatta Dan w/ House sauce).

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you?

I still get nervous before speaking in public – my palms sweat inappropriately…which is why I can’t use note cards.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?

Interesting – I worked as a marketing specialist for the Boys & Girls Club of Nash/Edgecombe Counties in North Carolina. I developed all of their publications and wrote their newspaper articles. Surprising – I was a dishwasher in undergraduate. It was the only non-work-study job left that year so…I busted some suds!

How long have you been at SMCM?
I graduated St. Mary’s in 2012, and began working at the school as an Admissions Counselor in July of 2013.

What path led you to St. Mary’s?
I attended high school in Ohio, but a family friend graduated from SMCM in the 1980’s and encouraged me to apply. After I visited the campus on an Accepted Student Day I knew I wanted to attend the school.

What do you do by day?
Well, this winter, I spent most days reading application files.

What do you do with your evenings/weekends?
Visit friends, watch Arrested Development, go on bike rides, runs, etc.

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?
Hmmm. It is definitely a toss-up between St. James Deli, Blue Wind, Bollywood, and the Coffee Quarter. They are all so delicious!

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you?
I got third place in the National Junior Olympics 5k race walking event when I was 14. That is probably my biggest/weirdest claim to fame.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?
Once I worked on a Christmas tree farm with my friends. I was fifteen at the time, and I was pretty bad
at it. I was fired about a month in when I accidentally mowed over a field of baby Christmas trees.

How long have you been at SMCM?
Since March 2013.

What path led you to St. Mary’s?
I was looking to return to a smaller school so that I could once again be a “lone arranger,” which is the official term in the archives world for somebody that works in a small unit. I have been interested in colonial history for many years and the history of the Monument School is fascinating. After meeting the friendly people at St. Mary’s I was hooked!

What do you do by day?
As archivist, I process and describe the materials, help other people find the materials, and strive to make them discoverable. I am also a librarian, and assist with the information literacy mission of the library and school. Sometimes people say to me, “it must be fun to look at old stuff all day,” but the reality is that it is more involved than that. But, I have to admit, it really is as fun as it sounds to look at old stuff for some of the work days.

What do you do with your evenings/weekends?
I am a fan of music and the outdoors.

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?
Courtney’s.

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you?
I collect musical instruments. My favorites are a charango and a bowed psaltery.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?
I once worked as a Master Control Operator for the nation’s smallest NBC affiliate. This included running outside and clearing snowdrifts off of satellites in between commercial breaks. If you were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or Northeast Wisconsin circa 1999 and saw accidental color bars during Days of Our Lives, you might have seen my handiwork.

How long have you been at SMCM?
I’ve been working for the College almost two years, but have been an active member of the SMCM community for almost seven years now. I attended St. Mary’s from 2006-2010 for undergrad, 2010-2011 for MAT, and have worked here since 2012.

What path led you to St. Mary’s?
I came here after a family friend told about the school. I regularly came back for alumni events, and found an opportunity to work and live in the area, with the help of my former adviser, Katy Arnett, at the end of 2011.

What do you do by day?
I field some calls to the IT Support Center, and do some Tier 1 troubleshooting, but my main responsibilities are administering the SMCM Course Evaluations, providing Blackboard and Google training, and writing support documentation for SMCM campus systems.

What do you do with your evenings/weekends?
Netflix is a crucial aspect of my evenings during the week, but I tend to go to beer tastings, art events,
and compete in bikeathons on the weekend.

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?
I will never say “no” to a Hot Ciabatta Mama from St. James Deli.

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you?
My Lego collection takes up most of my walk-in closet.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?
I used to be a manager at the Daily Grind.

How long have you been at SMCM?
I have been at SMCM for three and a half years. I started as program assistant at the Center for the Study of Democracy, then event coordinator in the Events Office and now web specialist in Web Services.

What path led you to St. Mary’s?
I have a bit of a unique background. I received a BA in Acting from Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. My final year of drama school, I was teaching first year acting and running college entrance auditions as well as writing and producing short films. After drama school I moved to New York and worked in theatre and film. I then moved to Hawaii and continued to write for film and I had a very tiny part on a TV show. I met my boyfriend whilst in Hawaii. We moved to Philadelphia and I worked as a casting director and acting coach. Then we moved here for my boyfriend’s work.

What do you do by day?
I maintain the College’s website and we have just started the process of redesigning the website.

What do you do with your evenings/weekends?
Hang out with my friends and do some things around the county. I love Oyster Fest. I went to Sotterley’s ghost tours and we eat out a lot. I also like finding crazy things to do. I recently went ghost hunting at Point Lookout and took trapeze lessons in DC. In the summer, I enjoy fishing, crabbing, hiking with the dogs and going out on the boat.

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?
If I have the time, Courtney’s.

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you?
I come from one of the oldest gypsy families in England.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?
I’ve had a lot of weird ones. I was a street performer in college. I used to do fire poi.

How long have you been at SMCM?
13 years

What path led you to St. Mary’s?
I graduated from SMCM in 1987. My wife also went to SMCM. After graduating, we moved back to Annapolis. I worked for a government contractor. We provided IT and support services to the military. My wife grew up on a farm in St. Mary’s County and we thought it would be a great place to raise a family, so we moved back to the county in 2000.

What do you do by day?
Like most people who work here, a lot more than my “position description.” I focus primarily on providing technology support in the computer labs and classrooms. I also utilize systems management tools that allow us to remotely install and patch software on campus computers. I try to make our department more efficient by automating certain tasks that previously required someone to physically come to your computer.

What do you do with your evenings/weekends?
We live on a farm and have four kids (17, 14, 12 and 9). When we are not racing to one of the kids’ soccer games or band practices, we are usually outside doing something. I like to sail, fish and crab a bit during the warmer months. We also have horses, but my wife is the one who rides. I like to ride dirt bikes. I have yet to be kicked or bitten by a dirt bike!

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?
Courtney’s

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you?
There is really nothing too interesting or surprising about me; maybe that I was an English major when I was a student at SMCM. Unfortunately,I was more interested in windsurfing than Chaucer. I wasn’t a great student, but I managed to squeak by.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?
After college, I didn’t know what I
wanted to do. I took a job as a teaching assistant at an elementary school. I worked with kids who had physical and cognitive disabilities. This was during the late 1980’s so we were just starting to get some adaptive computer equipment that made it easier for these students to read, write and communicate. It was probably the most rewarding job I ever had.

How long have you been at SMCM?
7 years

What path led you to St. Mary’s?
I moved back to the area in 2006. I previously left a position at the University of Delaware and wanted to continue working in a college environment.

What do you do by day?
Early mornings are spent in Goodpaster Hall cleaning and setting up bathrooms and office spaces for the day-to-day building operations. In the late mornings I go to Dorchester Hall to clean the dorms for residents.

What do you do with your evenings/weekends?
They are mostly spent with grandchildren. I have five (ages 12, 10, 4, 2, and 17 months) and I, along with their aunt–my oldest daughter, help provide the daily care of them. I’m not a once-a-year or once-a-month grandma, I’m an EVERY day ‘Grandma! Grandma!’

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?
Olive Garden—I LOVE their salad. The vegetables are so crisp and of course the salad dressing really makes it wonderful.

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you?
I think I’m pretty much an open book with not many surprises.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?
Executive Secretary for the Department of Multi-systemic Therapy of Psychotherapeutic Services, Inc. in Dover, Delaware. They provided behavioral counseling for children ages 6-21. As the executive secretary I also got to transcribe notes from the doctors’ sessions—it was very interesting. It was only a part-time and a temporary position but I loved that job and I think the experience of seeing what all those children went through helped me in raising my grandchildren, which was a challenge at first with so many of the babies close in age, but it’s so worth it to provide them a better life.

How long have you been at SMCM?
7 long years

What path led you to St. Mary’s?
I wanted to go to school here for free [for economics] while I was working, but the courses I need aren’t offered at night when I can take them. I am now taking HVAC classes at CSM through the new Tuition Remission Program [for Full-time Staff of SMCM to attend Maryland Community Colleges].

What do you do by day?
Set up for events (tables, chairs, trash cans, etc.), help with office moves and getting furniture ready for students to move in, and sometimes heavy lifting of packages.

What do you do with your evenings/weekends?
Work out at the ARC. Play semi-pro football for the Calvert County Cobras [part of the Southern Maryland Division of the American Conference of the Atlantic Coast Football Alliance]. We play in the offseason. I played at Great Mills High School during my freshman year but I really have been playing since 1st grade. I also spend time with my kids [Shaniah (age 3.5) and Jayceon (born 7/12/13 at 8lbs, 20”)] and run errands.

What is your favorite off-campus lunch spot?
Chipotle. I get the chicken burrito bowl with rice, corn, and sour cream.

What would colleagues be surprised to find out about you?
I’m very shy, but they actually probably already know that. It’s embarrassing, but I do yoga [as part of the group fitness classes at the ARC] for football – to help with my balance, improve flexibility, and prevent injury.

What is the most interesting/surprising job you’ve ever had?
I started here at age 18; this is the only job I’ve ever had. It’s definitely interesting. I like the people.

Interview by Annalise Kenney ’15

Cheryl Krumke has been a part of the St. Mary’s grounds crew for over eight years. She may be most recognizable to the campus community as the busy woman traveling across campus via her green John Deere Gator. This summer, Cheryl and the crew spent their days cleaning and maintaining the grounds in preparation for students’ return to campus. “Work on a grounds crew is never done,” says Cheryl.

What is your role as assistant supervisor of grounds?
I work to keep the grounds as clean and beautiful as possible. This involves everything from picking up trash to planting and mulching flower beds to even picking up dead squirrels! Most importantly, I work with and supervise the eight grounds crew members in their duties.

What’s your favorite part of your job?
I love working the flower beds. We’ve recently planted some roses and trees, and we’re also setting up water bags in case of drought. I also love working with student and staff volunteers. St. Mary’s community members always enjoy the grounds, but working with the grounds makes you truly appreciate the beauty here. You can’t really enjoy the grounds during a five-minute walk to class.

What’s your daily routine with the grounds crew?
In the morning, the first thing we do is a round of trash collection. The grounds crew covers the entire campus and picks up all the loose trash. Next we move on to other grounds maintenance jobs: mowing, weeding, whatever needs to be done to make the grounds look their best. In the fall we do our planting, but the summertime is mostly maintenance.

What is the toughest part of your job?
It always amazes me how much loose trash is on this campus – for a “green” school with students and staff concerned about the environment, litter builds up here so quickly. Every morning we go out for our rounds, new trash is on the ground. This is frustrating and something St. Mary’s students and staff really need to work on.

Tell us about the grounds crew team.
There are eight people on the grounds crew and we’re a great team. Although team members have
different specialties, we all work together, and everyone is able to do all types of work. My job is to supervise the team and check their work. I also love getting students involved and I’d really like to get
some students to help out with planting this fall.