Officials will discuss plan to cut positions

Administration officials will meet with employees next Wednesday to discuss the University's plan to cut 600 faculty and staff positions in three years in response to the proposed elimination of the University's state funding. President Sheldon Hackney, Executive Vice President Marna Whittington and Human Resources Vice President Bill Holland will meet with A-1, administrative, and A-3, support staff, employees in two separate sessions to discuss the University budget. "Most people are taking quite seriously [the idea] that most positions [will be lost] through attrition," said Linda Hyatt, assistant director of the president's office and head of the A-1 Assembly. "[We are] not expecting massive layoffs." According to Hackney's budget announcement last month, the positions will be cut through attrition, reassignment and retirement. Whittington said the information session will not be an "ominous event," but instead a question-and-answer period. She said she held a session similar to these last year with A-1 employees and that those who attended were "very appreciative." "When Harrisburg is playing around with our appropriation, everyone gets anxious," Whittington said yesterday. Hyatt said that, after going through a budget crisis last year, many staff members are not expecting massive layoffs. "We had to get used to the idea last year," Hyatt said. "The University came out of it with relatively little discomfort." She also pointed out that University employees realize that peole across the country within all sectors of the workforce are losing their jobs because of the recession. Faculty Senate Chairperson Louise Shoemaker said yesterday she hopes faculty will participate in deciding what, if any, positions to cut and that the decision is not "just handed to us." "Part of what we would like is to be in on [the decision] so that they [the administrators] affect the educational piece of the University as little as possible," she said. Shoemaker said the faculty's main concern is that the administration maintains the high quality of education at the University. At the annual meeting of the Faculty Senate yesterday, Provost Michael Aiken said many school deans are also concerned that cuts in positions will make it more difficult for the University to achieve affirmative action hiring goals.