If you’ve been watching local news lately, you’ve likely heard about job cuts at the University of Oregon. Although the Oregonian article cites an anonymous PSU administrator in claiming that we “may not be far behind,” it is important to remember that PSU is not the UO. UO is a primarily residential campus with a large athletics program. Thus, COVID-19 closures have significantly impacted the UO budget because of declines in housing, dining, and athletics revenue. This simply is not the case at PSU where a much greater percentage of our budget is funded through student tuition, fees, and state appropriations.
In the coming months, PSU-AAUP will continue to hold our administration accountable to the financial realities of PSU. We have been pushing back against the administration's budget pessimism for many months before the current COVID situation arose, and we will continue to do so! PSU-AAUP leadership is also in regular contact with the leadership of UO’s faculty union, and stands in solidarity with their pushback against UO’s proposed wage and salary cuts.