While the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado was spared from budget cuts, the process left employees in the dark. President Andy Feinstein announced budget cuts to the public this past October, including employee layoffs and the elimination of staff positions. Feinstein announced a month later that 85 staff positions were eliminated and 50 of those were employees being laid off.
The staff at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences were not part of the employees laid off. However, the announcement made them panic.
Mackenzie Glenn, a communications specialist at the college, was initially worried for her peers and herself.
“We were all really trying to be there for each other and really focus on our mental health,” Glenn said.
Glenn explained that the staff didn’t know much about the layoffs. They were unsure who would be laid off and didn’t even know who was affected by the cuts at the time. As the administrative staff are employed by the state, Glenn believes that there are laws that prevent them from providing further information.
Even though Glenn was the only person in her position, she still felt uneasy when it came to the layoffs. She confided in her supervisor, whose name she did not mention, who reassured her that her position wouldn’t be looked into.
Glenn mentioned that none of the staff were allowed to discuss or “gossip” about the layoffs. Even after it started to take place, they were not allowed to know who was affected by it. On the other hand, Glenn said that she hopes things work out for those who have been laid off. After learning that nobody from the college was laid off, she felt very fortunate.
Some of the staff at the college weren’t too surprised about the budget cuts and layoffs. According to one of the student and faculty support specialists, Catherine Murray, the state of Colorado received significantly less funding for the upcoming year. She initially heard about the budget cuts back in the spring of this year. However, that was only a possibility at the time.
“There was a lot of stress and panic,” Murray said. “I anticipated that would be happening this semester.”
Feinstein announced that the university was looking to lay off those in excess positions, which would lay off multiple people holding the same title. Murray said that her position could have potentially been considered.
Two people are part of the student and faculty support specialists: Murray and Brooks Pardew. Upon initial analysis, it appeared that there was an “excessive” number of people in the position. Many staff members in similar positions felt the need to start a backup plan.
“I think most of us were looking at other things [jobs], not because we wanted to leave, but just in case,” Murray said.
Murray highlighted the efforts of James Doerner, the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, who advocated for the college’s interests. Doerner argued that each position within the college had distinct responsibilities that set them apart.
On a different note, Stacey Tekansik, an account specialist for the college, expressed that she didn’t blame Feinstein for the cuts, but blamed the country’s current economic situation. She observed that employees were experiencing a sense of unease amongst the uncertainty.
“I think it caused a lot of stress for people not knowing what was going to happen and being in limbo," Tekansik said.
After the budget cuts and layoffs were announced, Tekansik described the environment as uncomfortable. She noted that while nobody had an outburst, there was definitely tension in the room.
Tekansik was left in the dark, along with many of her colleagues, regarding the cuts and potential layoffs. She would like to see more transparency in the future in similar situations. While this is a difficult time for many staff at UNC, she can only hope for positivity as the school year continues.
After the second week of November, staff were notified that if they didn’t hear anything, they were not under consideration for being laid off. Many didn’t take it as a big deal; it was more or less brushed aside.
However, it was a huge sigh of relief that the programs at the college were able to stay the same. There were no budget cuts among the programs, as Shawn Montano, an assistant professor of journalism and media, notes that the college is fairly responsible with money. This stability allows students to continue benefiting from the college with experienced educators as no one was laid off.
While discussing the situation, many of the staff and faculty would pause and think before they spoke. It was visible that they were refraining from sharing too much information. Many of them noted that they weren’t allowed to answer specific questions when asked.
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