A second Bursar’s Office has shaped up for student convenience and will be opening Monday in Lincoln Hall.

The recommendation for an alternative Bursar’s Office at NIU was proposed two years ago by Robert Albanese, NIU business and operations controller.

The recently completed construction phase of the project began over the summer. An unused cafeteria in Lincoln Hall was converted to the satellite office.

NIU Assistant Controller Bob Martens said the proposal was easily justified when NIU took over the phone billing system from GTE-Contel.

University revenues from the phone billing conversion will be used to pay for the project and one full-time position created by the new office, Martens said.

“The new telephone billing system created an obvious need for a second Bursar’s Office for students to pay those bills,” Martens said.

Martens said all procedures and questions, including all payments handled by the main Bursar’s Office in Swen Parson Hall, can be managed by the Lincoln Hall office.

The Lincoln Hall office hours are set tentatively for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, the scheduled times might change as need dictates, Martens said. The office will also include a 24-hour payment dropbox, he said.

Martens said he considers the Lincoln Hall location ideal. “About 6,000 students pass the corner of Annie Glidden (Road) and Lucinda (Avenue) daily,” he said.

Martens said he is working on putting about 1,100 fliers announcing the new office in the residence halls at the end of this week.

Lincoln Hall Director Michele Kimbrough said she doesn’t foresee any problems with lines or disruptions for Lincoln Hall residents or staff.

“They’ve prepared very well for it,” Kimbrough said.

Students asked about the opening of the new office were also pleased.

“It will be much closer for me,” said Marlene Wharton, a freshman in Douglas Hall. “I go by Lincoln all the time.”

Jim Buccherri, a sophomore in Douglas Hall, said, “It will be a lot easier. I’ve had to go to Swen Parson about four or five times to pay bills and get different forms.”