Tina Weedon Smith Memorial Hall was built in 1917. It houses UI School of Music staff members, 60 practice rooms and plays host to countless performances and recitals inside two large auditoriums. Ivory Bobo, a building services worker for Facilities and Services, has been on the overnight shift – 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. – at Smith Hall for 11 months. He is one of about 300 BSWs on campus, with about 90 percent working the night shift.
WHAT MAKES YOUR JOB INTERESTING?
At night, this building is alive. When I’m working, someone is always playing music somewhere. There are times when it’s a challenge to get everything done, but someone is always in there playing an organ or someone’s up on stage playing a sax or percussion. It’s such a variety, it really broadens your horizons. I never thought I’d listen to harp music and enjoy it so much.
HOW LATE DO STUDENTS PRACTICE?
We have to lock it up at midnight, but if they’re inside, they’re welcome to stay. Some students have a key so they can come and go when they need to. They stay late because they’re studying so hard. There will be students in here until 3 or 4 in the morning.
DO YOU EVER WORRY ABOUT THEM GETTING HOME SO LATE?
I always ask them if they need help or if they want me to call SafeRides. I don’t like it when they go out late by themselves. If they drove here, I’ll watch them until they get back to their car. If they’re back in a practice room, I’ll tell them, ‘You’re the only one up here, so give me a yell before you leave so I know you’re OK.’ We have a great campus police force and from time to time they’ll stop by and ask if we’ve seen anything out of order.
IS THAT SOMETHING THEY ASK YOU TO DO IN TRAINING?
Yes. They told us we are the eyes and the ears of the university. We see what nobody else sees at night, so I take that very seriously. The training was very thorough and (trainer Maria Luna) made it very fun – except for the part where you have to watch all the videos. That’s a job in itself. They want everyone to succeed because it’s also a good reflection on them. Most of my supervisors have 10-15 years’ experience. That says a lot.
HOW DO YOU AVOID DISTRACTING PRACTICING STUDENTS?
I just listen. They ask me if I want them to stop, like they’re bothering me – and I always say ‘no.’ I’ve found myself polishing the wood to the rhythm.
IS IT SPOOKY WORKING ALONE INSIDE A 100-YEAR-OLD BUILDING ALL NIGHT?
The building definitely has its characteristics. I’ve had students ask how I can stay here all night because they say it’s creepy. People already have told me that Mrs. Smith still walks the halls here at night. There is a door at the end of one of the hallways that opens by itself, but I think maybe the wind just gets up under it. There’s a portrait of Mrs. Smith at the end of one hall; no matter where you’re at, it feels like she’s watching you.
WHAT EXACTLY DOES YOUR JOB ENTAIL?
We clean the offices, dump the trash and sweep the floors. We sanitize the bathrooms, the stairs and the hallways. This building has two auditoriums – three if you count the big balcony – and we sweep between all the seats. One night I started to count all the seats I have to sweep around, but never finished. There’s a lot. This building has an unbelievable amount of brass and woodwork. The room that Mr. Smith built for his wife is made entirely of marble. It’s beautiful. This building was made to last. I’m also responsible for unlocking the (adjacent) Foreign Languages Building and the Observatory each day.
DO YOU DO ALL OF THE WORK YOURSELF?
No, there’s a lot of teamwork. I go by a daily work schedule but there are things I try to do every day anyway, like keeping the main auditorium clean. I have to do all the snow removal, which covers seven entrances in this building. The last big snow we had, I was out shoveling and looked up to see seven of my co-workers coming toward me carrying shovels. They came over and we knocked it all out.
DO YOU HAVE PROBLEMS SLEEPING IN THE DAYTIME?
This is my first time working the overnight shift. It took a while for me to get used to it, but I only need five or six hours of sleep a day; seven or eight are too much for me. I usually go home and sleep until about noon and then get a two-hour power nap later in the evening.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU CAME TO UI?
I grew up in Chicago. Before we moved here I was a stock options broker. I was one of the ones on the floor screaming and yelling. I started as a runner in 1982 and, at the time, I had to move back home because I wasn’t making any money. I eventually did, and after working at the Chicago Board of Trade I went out and did the same thing in San Francisco. I got tired of it because I saw what we did to the public orders. The market is rigged against the little guy; they don’t have a chance. I was an electrician for a while and worked at Meadowbrook Farms in Rantoul before I was hired here. My goal here would be to go into management.
WHAT’S YOUR LIFE LIKE IN THE DAYLIGHT HOURS?
My favorite activity is spending time with my son, Isaiah, who is 11 years old. Right now he’s in track, and he plays football and basketball. I try to go to all of his games. I also like spending time in my yard and I like squeezing in some chess when I get the time. I really love that game. The job schedule works well with my family schedule. I have a wife, Nancy, and we moved here from Chicago about seven years ago. We wanted a small community and a small school for him to grow up in. The area is pretty diverse, which I like, just like the university.
DO YOU PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS OR HAVE A MUSICAL BACKGROUND?
No. My favorite instrument is the piano, but I’ve never played. I don’t really have a musical background but my son plays the saxophone. I’ve talked to some students about giving him lessons. That’s one of my projects this summer.