As universities nationwide grapple with funding and budget cuts, DePaul has announced another change on campus — this time, reductions in staffing at some residence hall reception desks. On Jan. 4, the university’s Department of Housing and Residence Life announced via email that Sanctuary Townhomes, Sanctuary Hall and McCabe Hall will adopt a new reception desk schedule, while Centennial Hall will no longer have desk receptionists.

The email, sent to residents of the affected halls, states that reception desks at Sanctuary Townhomes, Sanctuary Hall and McCabe Hall (all upperclassmen residence halls in Lincoln Park) will no longer be staffed by student receptionists from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — a change from the 24-hour schedule many other halls still have. According to the email, residents are still limited to two guests per person and guests must be accompanied by a resident, but in this they are essentially on the honor system.

The changes are part of wider cutbacks at DePaul that also led to the layoffs of 114 staff members, announced in December. The university also has put a freeze on filling several positions and has made cutbacks in the Loop library. DePaul communications have attributed these cuts to a drop in international student enrollment, increased student financial need, increased healthcare costs for employees and a lack of federal funding.

“I understand from a business perspective,” said Benjamin Pluta, DePaul sophomore and Sanctuary Hall resident, referring to the layoffs and budget challenges. “But I do think it also raises some safety concerns.”

Until this quarter, student employees staffed reception desks at these halls between 8 a.m. and midnight, while security attendants continue to staff the desks overnight. Residents had to scan into the building and check guests in and out, and guests had to present either their DePaul or government-issued photo ID. All the freshman residence halls on campus still adhere to this system. With the new schedule, residents at the affected halls will now only need to sign in when the desk is staffed. 

In a statement to The DePaulia, DePaul University Communications said although the university is cutting back on their hours, it will still retain all current student employees and maintain “essential services for residents.” Referring to the need to cut the budget, they added that the university is “also being good stewards of university resources.”

DePaul sophomore Linus Johnson, a Sanctuary Hall resident, said that although he has noticed confusion among residents about policies like guest check-in, he is “not especially” worried about changes in resident life.

“If a person is really trying to sneak into a housing place, you’d have to go through quite a few barriers,” said Johnson, a Sanctuary Hall resident. “Even once you go past the sign-in desk, you still need a key to get into any actual room.”

Pluta agreed that a lack of guidance causes confusion and worries about who and what is allowed in the halls when no one is watching the desks.

“Can residents just walk in with any guest they want? Is there any form of ID checking? Presumably not, from what I’ve heard,” he said. 

Centennial Hall on Sheffield Avenue also houses DePaul’s Public Safety office. According to University Communications, the decision not to staff its reception desk at all “returns to a previous operational model” from pre-2020. Residents still have access to staff and resident advisors but will not need to scan anyone in or show ID.

Sheffield Square, another sophomore and upperclassmen residence, also does not have a reception desk.

But these changes do mean cutting hours for the student employees who work the desks, which is a change that happened suddenly for them.

One DePaul student who works at these reception desks said these changes were made by “higher-ups of the school that were likely not aware of how things work on a day-to-day basis.” The student asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing their job.

“The desk changes have affected policies and procedures that don’t have quick and easy fixes,” the student said.

University Communications stated that “Housing and Residence Life met with student employees and is supporting them through these changes.”

Johnson worries more about overall cutbacks than these specific staffing reductions. 

“The biggest issue is not in the thing itself but rather in the sign of larger university budget cuts,” Johnson said, adding that those cuts are “generally not great signs for the health of the university.”

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