Jobs not affected by DuSable closing

By Tia Speat

The closing of DuSable Hall this summer will save NIU money from maintenance and utility costs, but not at the cost of employees.

The move will save NIU thousands of dollars said Bob Albanese, associate vice president of finance and facilities.

“I want to make this clear. There will be no layoffs,” Albanese said. “We will just relocate our employees.”

While the university usually has a large maintenance staff over the regular school year, many of these workers are nine-month employees. The university is minimally staffed over the summer. Therefore, many will not be affected by the closing.

DuSable Hall maintenance workers aren’t too worried about the closing because they already are short staffed.

“[The closing] shouldn’t matter as long as we get a chance to clean the building before school starts,” said DuSable Hall maintenance worker Laura Seilheimer. “We have plenty of work.”

Another way Albanese plans to cut costs is by limiting the amount of work during the third shift, which is from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Albanese said the university is on a hiring freeze and a lot of things are still uncertain as far staffing around the university is concerned.

“Once the state budget becomes clear, we will know where we’re at for next year,” Albanese said.