Changes to custodial services on campus to take effect Aug. 1

As a result of this year’s budget reductions, Campus Planning and Facilities Management will reduce staffing and make changes in campus services, including custodial services.

The university recently announced that it has completed the process of identifying $11.6 million in budget reductions over the next two fiscal years, which included the elimination of 20 positions campuswide and a reduction in hours or reassignment of duties for seven employees. Seventeen additional positions were eliminated by vacancies not being filled.

Also, the university plans to hire fewer new tenure-track faculty and graduate employees this year.

“The decisions made through the budget reduction process were incredibly difficult and were not taken lightly,” said Jamie Moffitt, vice president for finance and administration. “Changing our custodial service model is one of the ways we can save money, and facility services leaders have worked hard to create a lower-cost cleaning schedule that supports the institution’s core needs.”

The cleaning schedules for main building spaces such as classrooms, labs, bathrooms, common areas, hallways and suites will remain the same. Starting Aug. 1, however, facility services will adopt new procedures related to trash removal and floor cleaning in individual offices. 

Instead of picking up trash once a week, custodians will move to an as-needed system in which trash will be removed as frequently as necessary based on individual office needs. Individual offices will also move to a monthly schedule for floor sweeping and vacuuming.

That will focus the majority of the cleaning effort on areas actively used by the most people, Moffitt said.

Under the new system, employees will have to take some steps not previously required. When the trash bin in an office becomes full, people will be asked to put it in the hall next to the office door.

It will be emptied during regular cleaning times and placed back next to the door. This can be done every day if needed or less frequently.

Garbage cans that are not placed outside an office door for emptying will be collected and emptied once a month as part of the new office cleaning schedule. Facility services reminds people who chose not to place their bins outside the door to use care when placing food or other organics in the containers. Depending on the time between cleanings, those items could produce unpleasant odors or attract pests.

Employees who wish to report an issue in their office that needs attention should call the Work Control Center or visit the website https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/ to place a service request.