Faculty members and students expressed consternation to Michigan State University's leaders at a board meeting Friday around the impacts that sweeping budget cuts are having on campus.
Their misgivings come as the tangible effects of the 9% reduction planned reduction in general fund spending over the next two fiscal years takes increasingly clear shape. Students have reported larger class sizes and cancelled study abroad opportunities; nearly 100 MSU employees have thus far been laid off; and several colleges have paused admissions for graduate programs.
The President of the Administrative Professional Supervisors Association, Joe Garza, addressed the layoffs during his public comments, and the stress they cause for those affected.
"Many were single parents with limited options," he said. "One laid off employee had her father die the week before her layoff and was facing a cancer diagnosis and upcoming surgery. They were wondering how they would afford the cancer treatment without their insurance."
He urged the board to, "take a strong stance that layoffs should be isolated events" and work with unions in a collaborative, transparent manner.
MSU ordered the spending reduction over the summer, claiming the university's financial trajectory was untenable. As contributors to a recurring budget deficit, the university has pointed to rising costs for employee health care, inflation outpacing tuition hikes, as well as unbudgeted headcount and financial aid spending.
The President of the Council of Graduate Students, Priyanka Kothari, noted that the university's budget cuts are compounding with federal cuts to research funding, which often cover costs for graduate students' projects.
"Faculty cuts and lack of funding options are making every graduate position more competitive," she said.
Faculty Senate Chair Angela Wilson, in her address to the board, raised that significant trims are being made to "some of our largest graduate programs at MSU." She added, "As these trims are made across the programs and university, we need to understand the impact of these trims on our teaching and research missions, our rankings and our research and research dollars."
The State News has contacted representatives of all colleges with graduate programs and received confirmation that at least four colleges have paused some graduate admissions in relation to the university's budget cuts.
The College of Arts and Letters has paused all but two of its graduate admissions programs; The College of Communication Arts and Sciences, College of Education and College of Natural Science have also paused some admissions. Several college representatives referred inquiries on admissions pauses to university spokesperson Amber McCann, who did not respond to questions at the time of publication.
Early in the meeting President Kevin Guskiewicz addressed the cuts, recognizing the challenges they've caused, while maintaining that it was, "the right thing to do at the right time."
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “Students, faculty, reel over consequences of budget cuts at MSU board meeting” on social media.
