TELL ME WHAT YOU DO AND WHAT YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE FOR.
My actual title is office manager, but I’m also the facilities manager for the building.
I do anything from getting keys for people to calling in work orders for maintenance to reserving classrooms in the building. It’s pretty much endless. Sometimes I clean up spills if (our building service worker is busy).
WHO DO YOU PROVIDE KEYS FOR? WHAT OTHER SECURITY MEASURES ARE YOU IN CHARGE OF?
We have to get keys for any (employee) new to the college. Also, a lot of our conference rooms don’t use keys. People have to use their i-card – but I give them access by entering their ID number into our system. Also professors have swipe-card access to specific podiums as a security measure for the college’s equipment.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO IN THE OFFICE?
I handle the inventory for the college (at both the Business Instructional Facility and Wohlers Hall), which is a major part of my job. I inventory anything over $500, like computers, projectors, file cabinets, chairs. There has been a lot of it recently because we just moved into this building two years ago. It’s about $300,000 worth of items. The university requires a biennial inventory where we have to account for everything. It used to be only for things worth over $2,500.
HOW DOES YOUR INVENTORY WORK?
There’s this system called FABweb. (It requires) the ID number of the person using the object, the person keeping track of it, the room and building that it’s in and all the serial numbers.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU HAVE TO DO REGULARLY?
I’m the backup for my supervisor. She reserves rooms for meetings at our college – that kind of thing.
WHAT ELSE ARE YOU IN CHARGE OF?
Our heating and air conditioning system. We try to have a temperature set point in the building, but some people get cold and some people get hot. We can adjust the temperature over the computer. I’m able to see everyone’s office temperatures on my computer, so if someone is saying it’s really cold in their office but the program says it’s 75 degrees, I can e-mail the (Facilities and Services) guys on campus and ask if there’s something wrong. Thank goodness for the good people in F&S – they’re so helpful.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED HERE?
Sixteen years. I worked at the College of Veterinary Medicine as a pharmacy tech for 11 years, and I’ve been here since 2005. I worked in the College of Business finance department before I came to this office.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT WORKING HERE?
It’s a good place. There are so many positive things about it – from the actual job to the benefits to just being able to take a walk on campus. The architecture is so neat. I like to walk around campus on my lunch hour. I think the buildings are pretty. We have a new building, but I like to look at the old ones.
WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU’VE LEARNED IN YOUR 16 YEARS AT THE UI?
Patience and multi-tasking. Because we’re dealing with a new building there is always something new to get used to. Being responsible for inventory, too, which was new to me. I just helped before, but here, I’m responsible for it so if something is missing, I’m the one whose name is on it. Also, learning the different contacts at F&S for putting a work order in. I like to deal with people, but most of the time if (I’m) going to talk to someone it’s going to be about a complaint, so you have to have the right mindset that it’s not toward you.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU’VE LEARNED RECENTLY?
I’ve become CPR and defibrillator trained. We just put the AEDs (automated external defibrillators) in the building.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL PLANS FOR SUMMER?
Summer is my favorite season. We always go down to Lake Sara in Effingham with my good friend and her family. It’s fun. Their family has a lake house down there and a boat. For my kids, it’s one of their favorite things to do because they can swim, relax, ski – that kind of thing. We just cook out and everyone pitches in. It’s very relaxing.
CAROL YOUNG FAST FACTS
Family: Husband, Jay; son, Jordan, 16; daughter, Kate, 13. They live in Champaign
Pets: “We have a little Shih Tzu named Daisy – she’s so sweet, and a leopard gecko. We love them – they’re our family. My husband said if we lived on a farm we’d be on the dog-a-week plan. I’m a sucker for animals.”
Favorite place to eat: El Toro. “It’s great food and it’s cheap. I’m always up for anything I don’t have to cook.”
Hobbies: Scrapbooking, attending kids’ sporting events.
Favorite TV show: “Big Bang Theory.” “I like comedies. I think it’s fun to get out of reality for a while.”
