“They just said, `We wish you luck.'”

That’s what Erin Boote said she was told after losing her job with the Department of Residence. Boote, junior in chemical engineering, was a maintenance worker in the Richardson Court Association. She was recently informed her last day of employment will be Feb. 16.

Boote is one of dozens of student employees recently informed they would be laid off this month. Boote said there was no warning of the layoffs other than rumors.

“There are seven maintenance-worker students in our shop, and as far as I know all of the maintenance and custodial students have lost their jobs,” Boote said. “It was rumored the week before they decided to get rid of us. We asked our supervisors and all they could say is `I don’t know.'”

Boote currently lives in family housing at University Village with her two-year-old son, but said she may have to move to an off-campus apartment and find roommates in order to afford rent. She said the upcoming room rate increase and the lose of her job may force the move.

“They can’t afford to pay me, so it’s kind of hard for me to pay them,” she said. “I get a lot of student loans, but I take care of my son on my own – I don’t get any child support. My job was a real source of income for me.”

Last week, Randy Alexander, director of the Department of Residence, spoke at the Inter-Residence Hall Association meeting and explained how recent budget cuts were going to impact students, by cutting student staff and raising room rates.

Keith Twombley, TRA president for IRHA, said he initially heard about students losing their jobs with the residence department through online message boards in StrangeTalk.

“I first found out about it when people started complaining online in chat rooms,” he said. “I asked them about it and they started e-mailing me their stories.”

Twombley said he has heard of at least one student who received a letter regarding staff reductions, but has already been told he has not actually lost his job.

“Just recently I heard from at least one guy that he got notified that he wasn’t being fired,” Twombley said. “I’m not sure what exactly is going on.”

Matt Ruden, senior in psychology, works with Boote. He and his co-workers were first informed of the lay offs through a note on the time clock before they received official letters.

“They sent an e-mail to my supervisor and my supervisor printed it and put it on the time clock,” Ruden said.

A few days later, Ruden received a letter from Darryl Knight, associate director of residence.

Ruden said the workload of other employees will increase a great deal if all student employees are let go.

“I feel sorry for the full-time [custodians] because their work will be doubled,” he said. “They will have to do the work the students were doing and their regular work.”

Twombley said students affected by this staff reduction will be forced to look for other sources of income and financial aid.

“There’s going to be a big scramble for these people to try to get themselves into jobs,” Twombley said.

“These people don’t have anywhere to go. They thought they had stable jobs, so they didn’t get student loans. They thought they could pay for [school] themselves. These are good students and losing them would be a shame.”

Boote said she was offered no alternative employment option, and even if she can find another job, it will most likely be for less money and the work schedule probably wouldn’t allow the same flexibility.

“My job was convenient because of scheduling,” she said. “I could do it in between classes.”

Twombley said he understands there are budget problems, though he’s not certain there aren’t other areas that could be cut.

“The Department of Residence could have these student workers as a higher priority,” he said.