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By Jarad Jarmon
CHARLESTON -- As Illinois moves into its eighth month without a budget,
Eastern Illinois University plans an estimated 200 layoffs of non-
instructional employees -- as well as furloughing all administrative and
professional staff additionally in March to make it through the spring
semester.
These layoffs, along with cash flow reserves and budget cuts and freezes
enacted last week, will be used to push Eastern through the semester
financially considering no appropriations from the state have been allotted
for higher education.
In related news, in reaction to budget concerns started at the state level,
a group of Charleston community members and Eastern students and staff plan
a rally Friday to push for change in Springfield to get Eastern funded.
In regard to the layoffs, 30-day notices will be sent out to those employees
either late this week or earlier next week, President David Glassman told
the Faculty Senate on Tuesday. This will start the normal "bumping" process
associated with the layoffs such as in the fall, when employees with higher
seniority who get a layoff notice can instead "bump" those with less
seniority.
Depending on when and if the state budget is passed or appropriations are
released to Eastern before the March layoff date, some, if not all, of those
layoffs could be rescinded and the employees recalled.
"That's what's so difficult emotionally for all of us as we think about
these things because we are dealing with real people's lives," Glassman said.
Glassman said cuts will be made in a way to ensure spring graduation can
still happen. Eastern will not run just half a semester, he said.
While the university will run through spring, uncertainty still lingers in
regard to what will happen over the summer and in the fall. Glassman said he
along with Paul McCann, interim vice president for business affairs, have
started looking into if continuing operations during the summer will be
possible, relying on tuition alone as income.
"If I find out from Paul that we would not generate enough tuition dollars
to operate the university (in the summer), then I have to figure out what's
our other alternatives," he said.
Eastern is in a similar boat regarding the fall semester. If funds do not
come in from the state by the July, August and September time frame, Eastern
will not be able to afford the expenses of the semester at its current
capacity without changes. This is also dependent on tuition and federal
funding.
Otherwise, Glassman said it is too soon to clearly identify what will happen
in the summer and the fall, but he said he is optimistic funding will come
in before then. He added he does not want to suggest summer and fall classes
are in danger.
"I have true anticipation that we are having summer school as normal," he
said.
Discussion and actions over higher education have been swirling around in
Springfield. One bill sponsored Democrats, which would provide funding to
community colleges and Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants, passed through
the General Assembly. Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he would veto that move.
Republicans have filed a bill that would fund universities at 80 percent of
what they received in fiscal year 2015, community colleges at 90 percent and
MAP grants at 100 percent, contingent on reform to procurement to pay for
the $1.7 billion it would cost to fund the higher education bill. (See
related story on page A3.)
Even with this plan, which means a reduction of 20 percent to the operating
budget, Eastern will have $8.6 million off its budget, which was already cut
down by 6.5 percent in the fall. If this was passed, the university would
still not be able to recall some of the laid off employees.
Otherwise, Glassman said he is excited that the state is actually talking
and focusing on the issues arising at the university level.
"From about May 2015 until January 2016, there has not been much discussion
on the hill with bills or anything else associated with higher education,"
Glassman said.
He noted university leaders are still nervous about the future.
"It is unprecedented ... I had no idea in the fall that our appropriation
would be, in February, zero," Glassman said. "In the 36 years now that I
have been in higher education, I never have experienced a more challenging
year."
To garner more attention from Springfield, a "Fund EIU" rally will take
place at 4 p.m. Friday in the Library Quad on campus. Kate Klipp, rally
organizer, said students will be "talking about why we all love EIU, and the
necessity for the state to live up to its commitment toward appropriations."
Music provided by the EIU band will also be provided. Jon Blitz, another
organizer, said the rally is expected to be big. According to Blitz, state
representatives and senators have been invited to attend. It is not certain
which of them will attend.
"We don't know if any state reps or senators will be coming," Klipp said. "
We have given Springfield plenty of notice, and we are hearing that
legislators are getting lots of phone calls, which is amazing. Love to see
the people empowered and engaged."
Blitz said it will take more than a rally to get a budget passed, but it is
a necessary step to put more political pressure on the state. He said there
is clearly not enough now to get them to finalize a bill.
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CHARLESTON -- As Illinois moves into its eighth month without a budget,
Eastern Illinois University plans an estimated 200 layoffs of non-
instructional employees -- as well as furloughing all administrative and
professional staff additionally in March to make it through the spring
semester.
These layoffs, along with cash flow reserves and budget cuts and freezes
enacted last week, will be used to push Eastern through the semester
financially considering no appropriations from the state have been allotted
for higher education.
In related news, in reaction to budget concerns started at the state level,
a group of Charleston community members and Eastern students and staff plan
a rally Friday to push for change in Springfield to get Eastern funded.
In regard to the layoffs, 30-day notices will be sent out to those employees
either late this week or earlier next week, President David Glassman told
the Faculty Senate on Tuesday. This will start the normal "bumping" process
associated with the layoffs such as in the fall, when employees with higher
seniority who get a layoff notice can instead "bump" those with less
seniority.
Depending on when and if the state budget is passed or appropriations are
released to Eastern before the March layoff date, some, if not all, of those
layoffs could be rescinded and the employees recalled.
"That's what's so difficult emotionally for all of us as we think about
these things because we are dealing with real people's lives," Glassman said.
Glassman said cuts will be made in a way to ensure spring graduation can
still happen. Eastern will not run just half a semester, he said.
While the university will run through spring, uncertainty still lingers in
regard to what will happen over the summer and in the fall. Glassman said he
along with Paul McCann, interim vice president for business affairs, have
started looking into if continuing operations during the summer will be
possible, relying on tuition alone as income.
"If I find out from Paul that we would not generate enough tuition dollars
to operate the university (in the summer), then I have to figure out what's
our other alternatives," he said.
Eastern is in a similar boat regarding the fall semester. If funds do not
come in from the state by the July, August and September time frame, Eastern
will not be able to afford the expenses of the semester at its current
capacity without changes. This is also dependent on tuition and federal
funding.
Otherwise, Glassman said it is too soon to clearly identify what will happen
in the summer and the fall, but he said he is optimistic funding will come
in before then. He added he does not want to suggest summer and fall classes
are in danger.
"I have true anticipation that we are having summer school as normal," he
said.
Discussion and actions over higher education have been swirling around in
Springfield. One bill sponsored Democrats, which would provide funding to
community colleges and Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants, passed through
the General Assembly. Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he would veto that move.
Republicans have filed a bill that would fund universities at 80 percent of
what they received in fiscal year 2015, community colleges at 90 percent and
MAP grants at 100 percent, contingent on reform to procurement to pay for
the $1.7 billion it would cost to fund the higher education bill. (See
related story on page A3.)
Even with this plan, which means a reduction of 20 percent to the operating
budget, Eastern will have $8.6 million off its budget, which was already cut
down by 6.5 percent in the fall. If this was passed, the university would
still not be able to recall some of the laid off employees.
Otherwise, Glassman said he is excited that the state is actually talking
and focusing on the issues arising at the university level.
"From about May 2015 until January 2016, there has not been much discussion
on the hill with bills or anything else associated with higher education,"
Glassman said.
He noted university leaders are still nervous about the future.
"It is unprecedented ... I had no idea in the fall that our appropriation
would be, in February, zero," Glassman said. "In the 36 years now that I
have been in higher education, I never have experienced a more challenging
year."
To garner more attention from Springfield, a "Fund EIU" rally will take
place at 4 p.m. Friday in the Library Quad on campus. Kate Klipp, rally
organizer, said students will be "talking about why we all love EIU, and the
necessity for the state to live up to its commitment toward appropriations."
Music provided by the EIU band will also be provided. Jon Blitz, another
organizer, said the rally is expected to be big. According to Blitz, state
representatives and senators have been invited to attend. It is not certain
which of them will attend.
"We don't know if any state reps or senators will be coming," Klipp said. "
We have given Springfield plenty of notice, and we are hearing that
legislators are getting lots of phone calls, which is amazing. Love to see
the people empowered and engaged."
Blitz said it will take more than a rally to get a budget passed, but it is
a necessary step to put more political pressure on the state. He said there
is clearly not enough now to get them to finalize a bill.
***********************************************
--
