Custodial services provided by facilities planning and management (FPM) are returning to pre-pandemic levels with the start of the spring semester on Jan. 18.
As part of university-wide budget reductions for the last fiscal year (2021), the FPM custodial workforce and services on campus were reduced. The reductions would have taken effect in fall 2020. However, with the onset of the pandemic, additional temporary workers were hired to provide enhanced cleaning and disinfection of campus buildings. One-time federal funding that supported university operations during the COVID-19 response allowed FPM to maintain the additional staffing through spring semester 2021.
This fall semester, without the temporary staff, the FPM custodial workforce prioritized high-traffic areas and common spaces, including classrooms, restrooms, library study areas and elevators.
"We have worked throughout the fall to find a workable approach to returning to pre-pandemic staffing levels and identified funding to start the process," said senior vice president for operations and finance Pam Cain. "We thank the university community for their understanding and patience, and our custodial employees for their hard work to meet the challenges of both the pandemic and our transition back to a more typical semester."
During winter break, Dec. 20 through Jan. 14, custodial staff will clean spaces that, by necessity, had a lower priority during fall semester, including offices and administrative areas. In the coming weeks, the FPM website will be updated with more information on spring semester cleaning services.
For more information, contact Michelle Lenkaitis, senior manager of custodial services, 294-0965.
