Making Campus Home

“Chineka is a wonderful, hardworking and deserving employee,” wrote one of the many people who nominated residence hall housekeeper Chineka Stanley for a C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award. “She is always here, bright and early.”

“Bright and early” is especially fitting, given that Stanley typically arrives before her student residents wake and lifts their spirits with a personality that shines.

Employed by UNC-Chapel Hill for nearly five years, Stanley maintains and cleans the Lewis and Everett residence halls off Raleigh Street, not far from the Coker Arboretum. She transforms the residential spaces each day with careful attention and hard work to ensure everything is in good shape and to care for the residents.

In addition to being a positive presence for students, Stanley also supports her fellow housekeepers by filling in for others when they are unable to come to work. During the pandemic, she took on extra work as other housekeepers left their jobs, and she banded with coworkers to advocate for better wages.

The C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award recognizes Carolina employees each year who have unusual, meritorious or superior contributions to the campus community. It is one of the most prestigious distinctions available for faculty and staff. Winners are selected through a campus-wide nomination process, and each winner receives a $10,000 stipend and an award citation. Among Stanley’s nominators were 37 of the buildings’ current and former residents and four resident advisers.

“I do think that most housekeepers get overlooked,” said Stanley. “For someone to even notice my work, it means a lot. So, to be nominated and to actually win this award just for being myself and doing what I like to do is huge.”

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