You have probably read the administration’s communication today that announced tenure-related cuts will not be on the table for the upcoming year, and that there will be overall fewer cuts to current workers and academic programs than we previously expected. While we were glad to hear that the administration is finally entertaining logical and humane strategies to mitigate their projected budget deficit—such as hiring freezes for currently vacant positions—we are still very upset to hear that Career faculty, classified staff colleagues, and other workers are still under threat. We will continue working with faculty who are likely to be affected in the following weeks (see “What to do if you receive a layoff notice”).
At the beginning of the summer, the UO administration shared their plans to reduce or cut programs and in the process, damage academic freedom through the firing of tenured professors, which would have had irreparable effects on our institution’s mission and reputation. The last few months have been an agonizingly anxious time for all of us, and could have been avoided entirely if the UO administration had been willing to collaborate with us directly to solve these challenges. We still have questions about the UO’s overall financial picture, why eliminating vacant positions was not the first choice prior to the radical and extreme plans to close entire programs, and why UO was allowing TT searches to continue while trying to lay off tenured faculty in the first place.
It is clear that the advocacy of faculty, students, community members, and elected officials—including our mayor—brought enough pressure for them to reconsider what would have been a devastating decision. We are fortunate to live in a state where our legislators stood up for us to protect the integrity of higher education, and it is clear that we are a community willing to step up and make our voices heard to protect higher education. However, we need to continue pushing for greater shared governance and financial transparency if we want our institution to succeed in the long-term.
This is not over, and we need to harness the energy that faculty have put into fighting back against the worst-case scenario of cuts. This has been a powerful demonstration of collective action at work, and we will need continued collective action in order to fight for those still impacted. The Communications and Action Team will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, September 9 from noon-1:30pm at the Union Hall and by Zoom to discuss next steps. While our strategy has met with some success, we still need action from members to help fight cuts to Career faculty, staff, GEs, and everyone still in the administration’s targets.
What to do if you receive a layoff notice or experience a change to your workload:
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In the coming weeks, we will continue working with all who have been affected by the summer’s cuts. Please reach out to us if you have received a notice of termination so that we can ensure the contract is being followed and so we can support you.
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If you do not receive a layoff but find that your workload is increased due to layoffs, fill out our Workload Survey as soon as possible.