ake Shields had one day’s notice before he was let go from the Huskie Patrol.

Shields, a junior clinical laboratory sciences major, and the rest of Huskie Patrol recently learned that the program was canceled for the remainder of the spring semester.

Designed to help the University Police by keeping watch on campus and providing escorts for students, the Huskie Patrol was comprised of more than 20 students.

They patrolled the university from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday, but the patrol’s last official day of work was April 11. Patrol members were notified of their termination on April 10.

“It was horrifically short notice, but we were trying to find ways to get funding for the rest of the semester until that day,” said Lt. Matt Kiederlen of the University Police.

Shields will have to pay his bills with his credit card until summer.

“Even if we had two week’s notice, I could have started looking for another job,” Shields said. “A lot of people were really upset. I know some were completely devastated, especially those with apartments.”

UP cites the recent budget cuts as the reason for the program’s cancellation. The students were paid hourly.

“This is no reflection on the work the students have done,” Kiederlen said. “They’re a great group and we’ve watched crime rates go down. They were certainly a part of that.”

The program will be reinstated next year, Kiederlen said. Students who will attend NIU at that time will be rehired.

For the rest of the semester, UP is redistributing its manpower. More officers will be assigned to the evening shift.

“I feel that we can provide the same level of service as before,” Kiederlen said. “Our officers will just have to do a little bit more.”

UP has more than 40 sworn officers.

Shields said the security in the student parking lots will be compromised.

Michelle Anilao,a junior mechanical engineering major, said she feels no less safe with the Huskie Patrol’s cancellation.

“There are probably better things the police could do with their money,” she said.