2008 Woodie Awards
University budget cuts threaten graduate assistant positions
Chloe Thompson
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: News
04/03/08 - Another department at the University of Rhode Island will feel the implications of the proposed $12.1 million budget cut for the upcoming year.
Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Dougan said yesterday he and members of his department are preparing plans for budgets cuts of 5, 10 or 15 percent, and that he has never faced a budget cut of this magnitude.
"We're not out there ourselves; everyone's having these problems," he said.
Dougan said his budget would likely be cut by $465,000, or roughly 10 percent of Student Affairs' budget.
"The money we're talking about is only through tuition and state appropriation," Dougan said.
Among other departments, Student Affairs oversees the Office of Student Life, Talent Development, Athletics, Career Services and Housing and Residential Life.
However, the size of the cut depends, in part, on how many faulty and staff accept the retirement incentive approved by the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education last month. The plan awards a one-time lump sum of $20,000 to any eligible professor that agrees to retire by April 15. And in June the state is expected to approve its budget that includes state funding for URI.
For now, Dougan is making decisions based on an expected 10 percent budget cut and is adamant about not firing any core staffers within the department. He has frozen hiring and said he has moved to making difficult choices about where to strip funds.
"I'm not suggesting this will be a democratic process ... but we are trying to do this strategically," Dougan said.
One move the department could make would be eliminating half of its graduate assistants, who work within Disability Services, Substance Abuse Prevention Services, the Women's Center, Greek Affairs and the Commuter Housing Office. Currently, there are eight graduate assistants, Dean of Student Life Fran Cohen said yesterday.
Dougan said eliminating some of those positions would be "very likely."
Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Dougan said yesterday he and members of his department are preparing plans for budgets cuts of 5, 10 or 15 percent, and that he has never faced a budget cut of this magnitude.
"We're not out there ourselves; everyone's having these problems," he said.
Dougan said his budget would likely be cut by $465,000, or roughly 10 percent of Student Affairs' budget.
"The money we're talking about is only through tuition and state appropriation," Dougan said.
Among other departments, Student Affairs oversees the Office of Student Life, Talent Development, Athletics, Career Services and Housing and Residential Life.
However, the size of the cut depends, in part, on how many faulty and staff accept the retirement incentive approved by the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education last month. The plan awards a one-time lump sum of $20,000 to any eligible professor that agrees to retire by April 15. And in June the state is expected to approve its budget that includes state funding for URI.
For now, Dougan is making decisions based on an expected 10 percent budget cut and is adamant about not firing any core staffers within the department. He has frozen hiring and said he has moved to making difficult choices about where to strip funds.
"I'm not suggesting this will be a democratic process ... but we are trying to do this strategically," Dougan said.
One move the department could make would be eliminating half of its graduate assistants, who work within Disability Services, Substance Abuse Prevention Services, the Women's Center, Greek Affairs and the Commuter Housing Office. Currently, there are eight graduate assistants, Dean of Student Life Fran Cohen said yesterday.
Dougan said eliminating some of those positions would be "very likely."