Otterbein’s copy center will be shut down from Oct. 21- Nov. 4 due to a staff shortage.
After an email was sent out in the first week of October notifying students of the closure, many students have been curious about the reason for this two-week intermission.
The mail center and copy center have three full-time employees working both stations. One worker is out for medical leave until January while another goes on a long-awaited vacation.
The only worker that will be in the basement of Towers during this time will be Jim Shrewsbury, the manager of printing and mailing operations who has worked at Otterbein since 1999.
“I don’t have the resources to keep it open,” said Shrewsbury when referring to the two weeks the copy center will be closed. The center will still offer 8.5 by 11 in paper copies, but any custom items will not be available.
This is not a choice that Shrewsbury liked making, but with only one worker, it just wasn’t possible.
“I’m not happy about it but if I had to make a choice, it goes to the students,” Shrewsbury said.
Other workers in the copy center also agree that many rely on the copy center for a majority of their printing needs on campus. Dain Jaderlund, one of the workers, noticed that it holds a lot of importance for students in particular.
“We have specifically like people from the art department come down here a lot,” Jaderlund said. “A lot of them require certain prints and sizes. Then there’s also resumes.”
Jaderlund said they have suggested their other departments load up on supplies before the brief shutdown period, and that it is best to do it beforehand.
“When we get back, recognize that there’s still going to be a bit of a delay as we play catch-up,” Jaderlund said.
Even with every worker in the office, they are still short-staffed and hope to hire more workers. To create a fully staffed department, two more workers would need to be hired.
The decision to close the copy center allows the mail center to remain fully functional. Shrewsbury reiterates that “students come first,” and keeping the mail center open was the main priority. The center receives between 100-200 pieces of mail a day, and during the first few weeks of school that number reaches between 400-600 pieces of mail a day.
