University closes computer repair service

Across the bypass, on the south side of the massive IU technology complex, three men work in a concrete-floored garage. The workbenches and desks here, strewn with the innards of disassembled computers, would suggest business as usual in this workshop. But for these men, the employees of IU's Computer Service Group, it's not business as usual. \nOn June 1, Kevin Reynolds and Mike Hoffmann received Reduction in Force notices -- letters from IU telling them that their jobs were being cut for "reasons of reorganization." The third man, Mark Harris, was notified that his position was being cut but was offered a position in another department at the University which he said he will reject.\n"It's not something you like to hear," Hoffman said.\nThe CSG, which offers on-campus computer and printer repair services to students, faculty, staff and departments has been running a $70,000 to $80,000 deficit per year and, after several years of absorbing the cost, the Physical Plant can no longer afford to support the service, said Physical Plant director Hank Hewetson. \n"It just didn't seem to be cost effective," he said. "It just couldn't hold its head above water."\nWhen the Physical Plant took over control of CSG roughly ten years ago, there were very few businesses in Bloomington which offered warranty and computer repair services. But today, retailers offer warranty and non-warranty repair for most major computer manufacturers. And though University administers are still considering on-campus alternatives to the CSG, as it stands now, most of the services the group provides will be outsourced to businesses outside the University, said Hewetson. \nBut, all of this came as a shock to Reynolds, Hoffman and Harris.\n"It would have been good to know ahead of time that there was a problem so that we could have tried to find a solution," said Reynolds who has worked at IU for 20 years. "I know for myself it would interest me more to take some kind of pay cut and try to find a solution than eliminate the job \naltogether." \nBut, even as their August 1 severance date is rapidly approaching, all three men said they bear no bitterness towards IU and would still very much like their jobs back.\n"I would love to stay here, just the way it is, or in a similar fashion," said Hoffman, who has been at IU for nearly 27 years and is two and a half years away from getting retirement benefits.\nThough the CSG employees are remaining optimistic, Hewetson expressed little hope that CSG would remain in \noperations.\n"It's not going to be a win-win," he said. "We just do not have enough repair work coming in to justify three people doing that."\nAccording to their work requests records, the three men did nearly 1,800 repair jobs for members of the IU community last year in an 11-month \nperiod.\nReynolds, Hoffman and Harris said they have received tremendous support for their service from professors and staff members who regularly use their service.\nThomas Mathiesen, a professor of music, called the University's decision to close CSG "extremely ill-advised and foolish."\n"It seems to me that it makes very little sense to consider closing entities on campus that directly support the faculty in its capacity of research and teaching," he said.\nHe said keeping the service on campus makes repairs convenient to faculty and allows a more personalized touch in handling equipment which can contain vast amounts of academic research.\nGeorge Fowler, a professor of Slavic languages and literatures, said outsourcing the work CSG does will actually cost the University more money because professors and departments will have to pay market price for repair work, rather than the significantly lower rates of CSG.\n"They are saving money on a service they provide to the University, but the University is still going to have to pay for that work piecemeal," Fowler said.\nBut, Hewetson said the lower cost to departments is precisely why CSG has been running a deficit.\n"By doing that, the Physical Plant is subsidizing these departments to the tune of $80,000 per year," he said. \nAfter examining the issue, the University determined that for CSG to break even, the group would have to charge more than the current market rate for repairs, said Hewetson.\nBut Hoffman said he's still hoping he can get his job returned back.\n"Right now it's kind of a wait and see," he said. "We're in a holding pattern"