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#1 Mom always happy to help By Jess Goode It isn't a stretch to say that some students are so appreciative of Wilson Hall custodian Rhonda Carr that they gladly do what they may have fiercely resisted at home: pick up after themselves. While working on the third and fourth floors of the West Green residence hall for the past three years, 42-year-old Carr has earned the admiration of the dozens of students she passes in the halls every day. łEverybody I know loves Rhonda," says sophomore Kirsten Ashenbach. "She goes out of her way to find out how your day's been and to see how she can make a difference ‹ just kind of like a mom would do at home." Here's what the Morgan County resident and mother of three has to say about her relationship with students. Is it common for staff members to get to know students so well? Each person does something different. Some people get to know their kids pretty well. I've worked on campus since 1990, and I always have. You get pretty attached to them. I have them for nine months. I gave birth to three, but I feel like I've got 127 plus my three. How do you connect with students? I try to be there for them. For instance, a couple of mothers couldn't come down for Moms Weekend. So some of the girls asked if I would stand in for their mothers, and I went out with them to dinner. A couple of weeks ago, I had a girl who had a possible broken ankle. She had a doctor's appointment at 4 o'clock, so I stayed after work and took her to the doctor on my time. Students say they're conscientious about cleaning up after themselves when you're around. Yes, and if they do make messes, they've cleaned up before I come in. I know one time that the whole hall was completely toilet-papered, but nothing was there when I came in the next day. They cleaned it because they didn't want to leave the mess for me. Do you think residence halls are safer when folks know one another? Yes, I do. And I think students appreciate you more if you get to know them. Think about how far from home they are. When you're in that situation and someone knows your name and says "hello," it helps. If I know someone's sick, I slip a get-well card under their door, and if I know that someone's birthday is coming up, I'll do the same. How do students show their appreciation? I've gotten cards, little "thank you's" now and then. Last Mother's Day, they gave me a huge card. They also gave me a $50 gift certificate for the Ohio University Inn, a $25 gift certificate for a massage, a $25 gift certificate for Kroger and they gave me a necklace that says "#1 Mom." What do you like about working in the residence halls? You make a lot of good friends, and I'm really rich with friends. That's because we're not just housekeepers. We're advisers. We're counselors. We're moms. And we're weather ladies.