Siblings in the Medinger family worked on the Residence Life work crew over a 13 year span. Four of the siblings — (from left) Paul, Ted, Mark and Luke — still live in the La Crosse area. Here they are pictured on the UWL campus. Sisters Anna Mally and Beth Bach are not pictured.
Brothers, sisters share fond memories working for Residence Life
Imagine having to clean up a messy room after your brother or sister for 13 years.
The Medinger family knows that job well, and it’s actually a pretty good one, they say.
The family of six scrubbed floors, washed windows, moved furniture and painted UW-La Crosse residence hall rooms on the Residence Life Work Crew — one after the other — while they were students at UWL. While it was sometimes tiring physical work, they were around a crew of people who were fun to work with, and, in some cases, became lifelong friends.
The siblings worked on the crew collectively from 2003 to 2016. They are now all UWL alumni who have new commitments to careers and families, but they look back on their time working for Residence Life fondly.
“There was definitely a sense of community and friendship that you don’t find in other jobs,” explains Mark Medinger, ’10.
What’s to be learned from crew work?
Ted Medinger, ’08, describes himself as a “late bloomer socially” who was initially intimidated to work with a large crew of new people his first day on the job.
“Now my job is dealing with people and talking with people every day,” says Medinger who works in Human Resources for Rottinghaus Co. in La Crosse. “I think I really advanced socially on the work crew. I couldn’t just sit in the corner and blend in. I really had to step up and get to know people.”
Similarly, Anna (Medinger) Mally, ’15, recalls feeling intimidated her first day on the job as an incoming freshman when she was much younger than the rest of the staff. But, over time, she felt “super welcome by everyone in Residence Life and really supported.” She also found the benefits of learning how to work with a diverse group of people.
The youngest sibling, Luke Medinger, ’16, became a crew leader for several years. Over six years, he grew as a leader, learning how to better communicate and cooperate, he says.
All of the Medinger siblings had time on the work crew overlapping with other siblings, but that didn’t lead to any favoritism or conflict, says Beth (Medinger) Bach, ’07. Growing up together, they were competitive, and that just encouraged them to work harder throughout life, she says.
For many on the crew, working for Residence Life was their first full-time job — one that started at 6 a.m.
Paul Medinger, ’07, the first of the siblings to work on the crew, tacked on an additional part-time job as a sports reporter for the La Crosse Tribune his senior year. Those 12-hour days and working on the crew taught him a lot about hard work, he says. Today, he still packs in a full day as a contract coordinator for La Crosse County Human Services and as a La Crosse City Council member.
“It taught you those lessons about work — sometimes it can get repetitive,” says Paul. “And it will not always be fun.”
But, Paul adds, the work crew did always find time for fun.
Oh, what fun
The work crew had a tradition of celebrating “Christmas in July” with a big meal and secret Santa exchange. They made T-shirts, called into radio shows, shared team dinners, and simply enjoyed good times and jokes while readying residence hall rooms.
“You wanted to continue to hang out after the shift was over — not just the work crew, but the maintenance workers and assistant housekeepers,” recalls Mark.
What helped facilitate that sense of community among staff was strong leadership. All worked under the guidance of Doug Kuenn, ’84 & ’86, UWL assistant director of Residence Life, a leader they respected and listened to. He was “one of my best bosses — I still use him as a reference today,” says Ted.
He wasn’t just a boss, adds Luke. “He is a great person who cares about what is going on in my life — school and relationships. He cares about everyone. He is a great guy to get to know and to keep knowing.”