University officials say their plan to outsource the IU Motor Pool won't cause the massive job losses protested by IU employees and state and local government officials. \nBut for motor pool manager Mike Hardesty, the announcement is disappointing nonetheless.\nThe program, unveiled at Friday's board of trustees meeting, by Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Terry Clapacs, will turn daily rental car operations over to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and calls for gradually selling off IU's fleet of nearly 500 vehicles in favor of leasing the cars from private companies.\nAs part of the agreement with Enterprise, IU students older than 18 can now rent cars from Enterprise anywhere in Indiana. Most rental car companies either do not allow people younger than 25 to rent cars or charge steep fees for younger drivers.\nClapacs made no mention of whether the program would save IU money, but he said there would be no spike in rates for IU employees who rent cars.\nThe changes will eliminate four jobs -- three of them full time -- at the motor pool, though Clapacs said $3.6 million will be generated - $2.2 million of that cash will be used to fund renovations of Franklin and Ballantine halls.\nClapacs said, and repeated several times, that the employees currently holding the IU Motor Pool administrative staffer, mechanic and mechanic's assistant positions that are slated for elimination will be transferred to other departments at IU and will not be let go.
Hard to face the change\nDespite this, Hardesty, who has worked at the motor pool since the 1980s, said it is difficult to lose three of 11 full-time employees in a department that prides itself on the longevity of its workers and the high standard of customer service.\nA framed photograph of each motor pool employee hangs, in order of date hired, on a wall visible from the front desk.\nMichael T. Nelson: Hired 1972. Jeffrey D. Sears: Hired 1972. Daniel H. Childs: Hired 1976. Linda J. Young: Hired 1978. The list continues down the line.\nOn an opposite wall, framed photos of every employee who has retired from the motor pool hang in a similar fashion.\nThe motor pool can point to a long and distinguished record of service, Hardesty said. \nIn fiscal year 2006 motor pool cars drove 1.5 million miles with just one mechanical breakdown. \nHardesty can recall countless times when motor pool employees have driven, sometimes thousands of miles, to help stranded students and professors, he said.\n"People will ask sometimes, 'What if we break down?'" he said. "I don't know, but we'll take care of you."\nHe and his employees will miss the chance to work with IU students, faculty and staff now that they will no longer be in charge of renting cars, he said.\nThe motor pool, which itself submitted one of the seven bids for motor pool services, will continue to operate the Campus Safety Escort, Disabled Student Services, Motorist Assistance Program and Garage Services. The motor pool will still be in charge of the leased cars, as well, though Automotive Resources International will finance the service.\nHardesty said he is relieved that the motor pool will remain largely intact and he hopes Enterprise will be able to provide the same level of personal service to which the IU community has become accustomed.\nStill, Hardesty and his employees clearly have some trepidation about the changes. At one point, as Hardesty was thumbing through copies of Clapacs' presentation to the trustees, he abruptly excused himself from the room and returned minutes later, eyes red with tears.
A warm welcome\nThis perspective is in sharp contrast to the warm welcome the new plan received at the meeting.\nThe trustees applauded the outsourcing program, saying it will allow IU to be more nimble.\nTrustee Sue Talbot praised Clapacs for keeping IU's commitment to its employees in mind as he developed the plan.\nThe motor pool is just the first of several IU departments to be outsourced as part of the trustees' plan to make the IU administration smaller and convert existing inventory to cash.\nClapacs said he hopes to present the plan for outsourcing the IU Bookstore to the trustees at their March meeting.
