The Work Behind a Clean Campus
Written by Asmi Toor Sogi (she/her) // News Writer
Visuals by Ryan Coomber (he/him) // Contributor
Most students arrive at the campus expecting clean hallways, stocked washrooms and tidy classrooms. These are the spaces students use everyday, often without thinking about how they got that way. The cleanliness of the campus is so routine that it can be easy to overlook the people responsible for making it that way.
For Sualah Adam Salifu, however, maintaining that spotlessness is a daily responsibility.
Salifu, also known as Adam on campus, has been working at Capilano University for about three years through Best Service Pro Limited. As a Frontline Lead, he helps oversee the custodial team responsible for keeping the university clean, safe and welcoming for students, faculty and staff.
In an interview with the Courier, Adam described his work as more than simply cleaning the spaces students and staff use everyday. “We take care of the campus in terms of cleaning-wise, and making sure that it’s maintained to the highest standards for the well-being of everyone.”
Originally from Ghana, Adam came to Canada in 2023 to pursue his education at CapU. He studied Global Hospitality and Tourism Management, a program he chose because of his previous experience in the industry back home. When he decided to further continue his education, he wanted to remain in the same field, and found that CapU’s tourism and hospitality program aligned with what he wanted to do.
His work on campus became an unexpected extension of that education.
According to him, there is no specific routine or building where he has to work, “I am all over the place,” and “I go where I am needed.”
A typical day for Adam starts later than the average nine-to-five. He often gets home around 1:30 to 2:00 a.m. after completing his night shift. Even from home, he has to respond to messages and requests from campus and communicate it with his team. Later, when he arrives for his shift at 3:30 p.m., he has to decide what needs his attention first.
If there is a spill, it becomes a priority. It has to be cleaned before someone gets hurt. Washrooms need to be checked. Common areas need to be maintained. And as a lead, Adam also has to support his team when they need help. Some of that work happens late, when the campus is quieter.
“As you can see, the floor is looking pretty good because we have to really work on it,” Adam observed. “We have to do that when there’s not much traffic here.” By the time students return the next day, much of that work is already done.
His schedule can also make it harder to make time for things outside of work. Adam is a soccer fan, and during the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 2026 World Cup, he found himself supporting both Canada and Ghana. His work schedule did not leave him with enough time to watch as many games as he wanted, but he still followed the tournament when he could.
The tournament became one example of how his work can spill into his personal time.
With late shifts and responsibilities that sometimes continue even after he leaves campus, there is not much room for plans outside of work.
Still, Adam followed the games whenever he could, especially when either Canada or Ghana was playing.
For someone who spends so much of his time at CapU, the university has become a large part of his everyday life. But his time is not only spent working, his interactions with students and staff have also given him a chance to build relationships and learn about people’s different cultures.
Adam does not see his role as something that’s completely behind the scenes. Working in “such a diverse campus” means he gets to know a lot of people. “We do interact with students because consistently we’ve been seeing each other’s face,” he says, “it kind of creates that bond.”
Over time, small interactions become conversations. Adam has talked with students about their exams, shared words of encouragement and gotten to know people from different walks of life .
“Unless you experience that, you wouldn’t see those things happening,” he commented.
The conversations have also taught him something about the diversity of the university. “We’re all coming from different backgrounds,” he said. “We try, in a way, to learn from each other [and] share opinions.” That is what he thinks has stood out to him the most throughout his time at CapU. Rather than one particular interaction, it is the accumulation of small snippets of conversations and experiences with different people that have stayed with him. “Bringing the pieces together […] this is how we are supposed to live and interact with each other.”
“Everybody has been very friendly and approachable,” he said. One particular interaction with a student at the old residence stayed with him.
One day after finishing his work in the cafeteria washrooms and hallway, Adam was walking towards another building when he noticed that someone had thrown up on the floor. As soon as he saw that, he went to get his cleaning supplies and started cleaning the mess. He suddenly noticed a student standing near him watching him clean. After a few minutes the student approached him and started apologizing.
“I’m really sorry. I am the one who caused this mess,” confessed the student. Adam smiled and told him not to worry. He asked if it had been intentional. When the student declined, Adam reassured him that there was nothing to worry about and that it was okay. But the student did not leave. “He was like, ‘please let me do it,’” Adam recalled. After reassuring the student, Adam went back to cleaning, telling him that he would take care of it.
What stayed with Adam was not the mess, but the fact that the student had come to him and taken accountability for his actions. “He could have easily passed by or just left, because I didn’t know who had done that,” commented Adam. Instead, the student took the responsibility and even offered to help.
“The joy I take in this is the boldness [and] the responsibility that he took, showing up and telling me this […]. It really touched me,” and that’s why I want people to come to me and tell me about any mess that they see if I am around.
When asked about whether he feels like a part of the CapU community, he did not hesitate.
“Absolutely.”
That sense of shared responsibility extends to the physical campus as well. He believes that students have a significant role in the work he and his team does daily. For Adam, keeping the campus clean is not only the responsibility of the people whose job titles include the word “cleaning” but also everyone else who shares that space. “Waste management” is a prime example. When students put garbage, paper and other waste in correct bins, it makes the custodial team’s job easier and helps prevent cross-contamination.
The same applies to keeping common places clean. Now this isn’t Adam asking the students to do the work of the custodial team, but to pay attention to the space that they share and clean after themselves.