PULLMAN – Fewer clocks on the walls of WSU offices, classrooms and laboratories are tangible signs of WSU budget reductions.
As WSU-owned wall clocks become inoperable, WSU Facilities Operations will remove them and cover the resulting holes in walls.
“In making the required budget reductions, we protected issues that affect general campus safety, building environments, usability and long term asset maintainability at the expense of less critical items. That is not to say that inoperable clocks are not an inconvenience, but they don’t place safety, long-term building environment and usability at risk,” said Larry Neal, WSU Facilities Operations maintenance and utilities services director.
Clocks, which are connected to master clocks, are expensive, Neal said. Over a year, it can cost as much as $30,000 to maintain the clock system. It is less expensive to replace inoperable clocks than repair them. But, in a time of financial austerity they will be removed and not replaced.
When some WSU campus buildings were constructed, clocks on the wall were key means of keeping track of time. Today, wristwatches, cell phones and budget reductions mean fewer wall clocks at WSU. Computers and other electronic devices used by university faculty, staff and students mean wall clocks are not as vital as in past years, he said.
There is no plan to remove all the clocks at once and no timetable for removal, Neal said. “Clocks will be removed as they fail and as requested. Therefore there is not a total count on the number of clocks on campus to be removed.”
