Excerpt from the Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) raised concerns about the accuracy of budget projections and work history of WSU Chief Operating Officer Greg Sample in an email sent by the AAUP-WSU Executive Committee on Nov. 1.
The AAUP-WSU stated that in May, Sample had projected a loss of $30 million for fiscal year 21.
Given this projection, the AAUP-WSU says that the employees of the university should supposedly share in the sacrifice and concede wages or future raises. However, after the faculty union decided they would wait for the actual numbers to come to light, the projections were then shifted to show a loss of $12.5 million instead.
“When we hear that there has been a new announcement to chairs and deans that a discovery has been made of money and budget issues, we know that pretty soon afterwards, there will be a request for some kind of cuts and concessions,” said AAUP-WSU President Dr. Noeleen McIlvenna. “I just want to remind everyone of this pattern that has been laid out, and to have people think critically about this rather than believe that once again the sky is falling.”
The AAUP-WSU also says that in May, Sample claimed the FY20 budget was $11 million in the red. Because of this, the Board of Trustees insisted that financial concessions from faculty were crucial to stave off the downfall of the university.
Weeks later, Sample announced that the actual statement would show WSU to have profited $1.9 million, despite the coronavirus pandemic and a structural deficit.
“Oftentimes department Chairs will accept things at face value, and agree to this cut or that cut,” McIlvenna said. “This can be very dangerous to the academic mission that is set in front of us.”
McIlvenna says that the Trustees have been attacking tenure at the university for three years.
“In their lives as bosses in private industry, they can just fire at will,” McIlvenna says. “They’ve come in and tried to be managers of an institution that is a public good, and has tenure. It’s frustrating to them, and they don’t understand it.”
