After being out of service for more than 16 months, the escalators in Founders Memorial Library are back in operation. The escalators could not be repaired until recently because of university budget cuts, University Libraries Dean Arthur Young said.

“It was a $40,000 repair job and the university just didn’t have the money right away to fix it,” Young said.

Since budget cuts went into effect last year, the library also has cut six to eight full-time positions, including library professionals, staff and civil service positions. The number of hours available to student workers also have been reduced slightly.

“We used to have two or three reference desks. Now we only have one,” Young said. “Cuts prompted more efficiency.”

Money for new books and journals was not cut, Young said. However, he said there has been a reduction in the number of new journals coming into the library because journals now are more expensive.

Even though the budget crunch has affected the libraries, Young said smaller offices are affected more when their budgets are cut.

“If we lose five percent of our budget, no one’s happy,” Young said. “But when the smaller offices with less money lose money, it hurts them more.”

Campus Child Care Center

However, some offices on campus have turned to other sources of funding.

NIU’s Campus Child Care Center, which expanded three year ago, receives 85 percent of its funding from the government and parent fees directly.

Chris Herrmann, director of the Campus Child Care Center, said NIU contributes $34,000, which goes toward paying the salaries of professional help.

“Our budget from the university actually goes up a portion when salary increases occur,“ Herrmann said. “With our expanded program, we need the money, but with the budget cuts, it’s not there for them to give.”

The center still is in the process of expanding, which includes hiring more professional and student help.

“Unlike other offices, the more we hire, the more money we bring in,” Herrmann said. “Our goal has been to expand, and we are about 90 percent of the way there.”

Minimum wage increases have had an effect on the center, which hires 50 student workers a semester as teacher aides. The SA currently allocates about $54,000 a year, which helps to pay student workers.

“Right now, we are more prudent in hiring students and subbing in help for call-offs,” Herrmann said. “We will be looking for $30,000 in additional funding once the minimum wage goes to $6.50. That is a lot, with budget cuts and wages going up at the same time. It is a bigger crisis.”