NIU may shutter DuSable Hall for the summer to cut costs. School officials, however, are waiting for Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s scheduled budget address on Wednesday before nailing down any final plans.

Department heads are bracing for the worst in light of grim budget news coming from the governor’s office. Still, administrators say they are serious about maintaining the academic integrity of their departments while committing themselves to being frugal.

One way to do this is to shut down buildings that generate substantial costs for the university, and DuSable Hall is a leading candidate, said Bob Albanese, associate vice president of Finance and Facilities.

Closing DuSable Hall, which houses 51 classrooms, will eliminate janitorial, lighting and air conditioning costs, and could save thousands of dollars each day, Albanese said.

However, more than 100 classes are slated for DuSable Hall this summer.

Summer enrollment usually is less than half of what NIU sees in the fall, so there will be enough rooms in other buildings to house those classes, said Donald Larson, executive director of enrollment services and registrar. Most buildings have general purpose classrooms, he said.

Instructors used to teaching in DuSable Hall may be inconvenienced by the relocation, Albanese said.

“We certainly have space to relocate those classrooms, but it certainly disrupts the normal academic rotation,” Albanese said.

As soon as the Office of Registration and Records has relocated classes, the changes are expected to be posted on TRACS, and students who registered for DuSable classes should see the changes reflected in their schedules.

Registration and Records is waiting for a heads up from the Office of the Provost or the president’s office, though, before making final decisions about class placement, Larson said. The university should have a definitive answer about DuSable Hall by early May, he said.

Frederick Kitterle, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said his college is planning for the budget cuts, but wants to make summer school available and keep people employed. Closing DuSable Hall is a viable way to do this.

NIU President John Peters maintains that NIU’s priority is preserving academic programs, said Melanie Magara, assistant vice president of public affairs. While NIU received positive news about cuts to the current budget, the state may make a sizable cut to next year’s budget.