Social justice became the buzz word at a heavily attended faculty budget forum yesterday as professors questioned administrators about job cuts and attention to academic programs.
In the first of four budget forums, Ohio University faculty discussed last week's budget recommendations with the provost, the head of Finance and Administration and two of their staff members.
Faculty spent much of the time discussing potential losses in instructional capacity - laying off untenured professors or eliminating positions after people retire - and how that could impact the educational quality their programs offer.
Having looked at how these cuts are being done
I have the impression a lot of these are not strategic they are opportunistic because a lot of them are done through attrition journalism professor Bernhard Debatin said.
The discussion of those possible losses turned quickly to salaries, with several faculty members questioning the wisdom of giving faculty and administrators 2 percent raises while eliminating lower-level faculty and staff. The recommendation for raises came from Budget Planning Council after Faculty Senate and other bodies lobbied for them. But some faculty, including plant biology professor Sarah Wyatt, said now is not the time to ask for more money.
It's embarrassing to sit there and have the university or the newspapers reporting that we're getting raises while we're cutting all these people
Wyatt said.
Several faculty members said they agreed with Wyatt, and added they'd rather forego a raise to save their colleagues' and staffs' jobs.
Chemistry professor Ken Brown, however, argued faculty should not back off because upper-level administrators are not taking salary cuts.
I
for one
am not in favor of seeing Ohio University faculty and staff continue to take hits in compensation when we have executive administrators who are making extremely large salaries
some of whom still have car allowances and memberships in country clubs
Brown said.
Art professor Duane McDiarmid brought the group back to the social justice theme, saying for him it's an issue of equity.
I could stand a salary freeze
but not while someone's making three times my salary
McDiarmid said.
Faculty Senate Chairman Joe McLaughlin told the faculty they should contact their senators to express their opinions on potential faculty raises.
Attendees also questioned administrators about whether they truly are looking at transformative options. Tom Scanlan, an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the cuts his college might absorb could end up costing more money than they save.
We stand to lose about 180 sections of classes in the current scenario
Scanlan said. By our calculation that will be a loss of revenue to the university that will exceed the amount of the cut ... The state is not paying us for non-academic activities. The state is reimbursing us and the students are paying for weighted student credit hours.
The provost asked faculty for their alternative ideas, but some professors said they felt ill-equipped to make realistic budget proposals.
Administrators posed a question to faculty about furloughs and ways to restructure academic offerings, as well.
After the meeting, faculty were divided about the forum's usefulness.
Forums for staff, students and the entire university will happen today and tomorrow.
