Heather Dayton (left) and Tiffany Malapanes
You may have seen them around the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus—usually outdoors and accompanied by their John Deere utility vehicle named “Gail.”
Grounds foreman Tiffany Malapanes and landscaping assistant Heather Dayton both arrived at UTC as full-time employees in the spring. They have since put in hundreds of hours of work to maintain the campus’ beauty.
The two answered questions about their roles, their favorite parts of the job and what it takes to maintain UTC’s green spaces.
How did each of you get into this work? What’s your background?
Heather: “I went to school for environmental policy and planning here at UTC. I graduated three years ago and this is the first job of this kind that I’ve had. I’ve done a lot of odd jobs trying to stick around Chattanooga because I love the city. I was a server and then I sold bikes for a little bit. I wanted a change of pace and a change of scenery, so I came here. I grew up gardening and helping my mom—playing outside.”
Tiffany: “I went to school at MTSU and did global studies and nutrition, so this is a little bit funny that this is the job I have now. I used to have a giant garden; I raised bees, had a bunch of hives for a long time, chickens, the whole nine. I ran a tea company for about a decade and have had a bunch of supervisor-type jobs. I love plants and gardening. A friend told me about this position and said I’d do great at it. I love it so much.”
What draws you to working outdoors?
Heather: “I worked for UTC Outdoors as a student, so I’ve always enjoyed jobs where I’m active and using my hands. After working in retail for a while, I wanted a better balance, something slower paced, more rewarding. Plus, with my background in environmental policy, this helps me gain more field experience.”
Can you describe what a typical day looks like?
Tiffany: “We meet up at the beginning of the week to see what the campus is looking like. Then I get a general idea of what we need to prioritize for the week and make a list of our projects. Every day we go through and pick out what needs to be done.
“We have regular routine things, like cleaning off the Starbucks area and the UC area, and then we decide what’s most pressing for that day. We do anything from planting beautiful flowerpots to weed-whacking, trimming bushes, trimming trees, cleaning out drains. Sometimes we have big, challenging projects, like certain areas that have become really overgrown. We’ve had to trim them back so that next year we can start maintaining them.
“A lot of what we’re doing now is just trying to get everything cleaned up so that we can manage it in the future—so the whole campus is really pretty and aesthetically pleasing instead of this wild wonderland. We love the wild, but sometimes there’s a full-grown invasive tree we have to remove. It’s really fun, though, even when we’re doing the drains. We’re having a good time, even when it’s gross.”
Are there any projects people might not know about or that have been especially challenging?
Tiffany: “There wasn’t a full staff for some time, so some of the campus got overgrown. A lot of what we’re doing right now is cleanup.
“One thing we’re working on right now is the amphitheater. It’s been really overgrown, so we’re cleaning it out and trying to make the visibility better. That’s a big project we’ve been working on, and it’s kind of a team effort for everyone. We want it to be a space people can walk down to safely. Hopefully, it will be a cool spot once it’s cleaned out.
Heather: “That area has been really overgrown for a very long time. There are some trees that are part of the arboretum that are over in the amphitheater area. We’re in the process of cleaning it out and getting it to where it’s actually a really beautiful space that is kind of forgotten about right now.”
What’s it like doing this kind of work on a college campus?
Heather: “It’s interesting for sure. I still feel young enough where I feel like I’m another student, but I’m not. It’s kind of like working in a restaurant; there’s so much going on that you don’t know what’shappening unless you’ve worked there. As a student, I didn’t know anything about what went into maintaining campus. I just thought, ‘Oh yeah, campus looks green, there are pretty flowers.’ Now knowing the amount of work it takes to keep it looking nice is kind of interesting. People notice us a lot and talk to us, sometimes looking for advice about plants. Others introduce their dogs or ask about what we do.”
Tiffany: “We started in the summer, so it was quiet at first. Then all the students came back and we were like, ‘Oh, we have to watch where we’re driving now.’ Sometimes I get really focused on a project and forget we’re around so many people. I’ll be singing to myself with my headphones on and then remember I’m in the middle of campus.
“The students are super sweet. We’ve made a lot of dog friends, too.”
What would you like to see happen in the future?
Tiffany: “I have some ideas. I would like to involve students and faculty in our work eventually. I’d also like to see more places on campus used as a learning space, with signs or features that help people learn about the plants and landscaping. But we’ve got to finish cleaning everything up before we get to the really fun stuff.”
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