They passed down expected cut projections to us at the education level, and already our leaders are out there reassuring us. I thought you ought to know what they said so that you can know what actually happens when they cut educational budgets.
The bottom line is this: the cuts will do nothing at all to reduce access to and reliability of instruction as presently constituted. We will continue to teach the same number of courses and serve the same number of students. Perhaps, we will even serve more. What this means is that they will cut mostly two parts of the education budget, which is padded for this. First, they will cut FTEs, which are positions as yet unfilled at the university for which money is allocated even if it's not used. Secondly, they will cut the capital improvements budget, which allows us to buy "stuff" like centrifuges, spectrophotometers, and PCR thermocyclers.
THe other way they will save money is by sticking it to those who stay. Our retirement contribution already went from 10.5% to 11.25% and my healthcare went up $35/month over last year. I take one furlough day per month, and now we have new furlough options.
While we take a paycut, who teaches your children? Our department will hire two new faculty members during the "budget crisis". Meanwhile, because I am Staff, I may not teach courses until the budget crisis is over. Instead of paying me per section, they will pay retirement and benefits and a higher wage to a new faculty member who will eventually be interminable due to tenure.
There are smarter ways to do this. First off, stop programs for which we cannot pay. Secondly, stop all remodelying and new construction and land acquisition. Thirdly, close facilities and programs that hemmorrhage taxpayer funds because they service too few students. One student taking a course is not "demand".
The bottom line is this: the cuts will do nothing at all to reduce access to and reliability of instruction as presently constituted. We will continue to teach the same number of courses and serve the same number of students. Perhaps, we will even serve more. What this means is that they will cut mostly two parts of the education budget, which is padded for this. First, they will cut FTEs, which are positions as yet unfilled at the university for which money is allocated even if it's not used. Secondly, they will cut the capital improvements budget, which allows us to buy "stuff" like centrifuges, spectrophotometers, and PCR thermocyclers.
THe other way they will save money is by sticking it to those who stay. Our retirement contribution already went from 10.5% to 11.25% and my healthcare went up $35/month over last year. I take one furlough day per month, and now we have new furlough options.
While we take a paycut, who teaches your children? Our department will hire two new faculty members during the "budget crisis". Meanwhile, because I am Staff, I may not teach courses until the budget crisis is over. Instead of paying me per section, they will pay retirement and benefits and a higher wage to a new faculty member who will eventually be interminable due to tenure.
There are smarter ways to do this. First off, stop programs for which we cannot pay. Secondly, stop all remodelying and new construction and land acquisition. Thirdly, close facilities and programs that hemmorrhage taxpayer funds because they service too few students. One student taking a course is not "demand".
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