You’ve seen them everywhere around campus, but you won’t see the exact same thing anywhere else: disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer dispensers in convenient, sturdy racks. The uniquely Colorado State University sanitization stations are the brainchild of Steve Burn, director of the departments of Central Receiving.
When it became clear that access to hand sanitizer and wipes would be crucial to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when campus reopened for Fall 2020, Burn and Linda Meserve, director of Procurement Services, scoured the internet looking for solutions. Sure, there were some similar stations available – for a LOT of money – and in limited quantities.
So, Burn did what he does so well: He used creativity, expertise and professional connections to secure and distribute almost 900 stations around the CSU campuses.
“I just started sketching up some ideas of what this might look like, met with a local fabricator and we formalized a design,” he explained. “Next thing you know, they delivered a prototype. We got exactly what we needed, we got to use local businesses, and they cost about 25% less than anything online and were built to last, unlike most others.”
The sanitation stations are powder-coated the green and gold of CSU and each has an individual QR code that can be scanned to report if supplies need to be refilled. Working with Burn, Thomas Hickey, assistant emergency coordinator, and teams of CSU employees have installed stations both indoors and outside
Other pandemic contributions
The sanitation stations aren’t the only contribution Burn has made to CSU throughout the pandemic.
“Steve and his team have worked tirelessly to help CSU adapt and adjust to the changing times. They have been incredible to work with, and Steve is a logistical genius,” said Marc Barker, co-chair of the University Pandemic Preparedness Team.
Crews from Central Receiving have installed almost 900 stations to dispense hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes across the CSU campuses. Photo by John Eisele, CSU Photography
Burn and his team, along with Meserve, have been responsible for securing personal protective equipment, creating a central supply store online for CSU departments to secure PPE and health-related signage, and are continuing the collaboration started by the Dobos Lab with a local brewery to produce thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer.
His leadership and ingenuity are well-known across campus but Burn wants to make one thing clear: “I couldn’t do any of these things if it wasn’t for my amazing team in Central Receiving,” he said. “This team of 32 people has not missed a day of work since this all began, and I have not heard one single complaint. Their whole goal is: What can we do to keep this campus operating and help out anyone who needs help? It’s just incredible what they have done.”
Please do not move sanitation stations, as they are all mapped and numbered by location. If you would like a sanitation station in your area, please email pandemicplanning@colostate.edu.
