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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend January 15, 2007 Click image for larger view Student Chris McClusky of Ashland works at the non-traditional and commuter student center in SOU�s Stevenson Union. She thinks the budget situation at the university is grim. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) SOU CUTS DEEP University feels impact; further cuts slated, could affect professors By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Jan Ochs, office manager at Southern Oregon University's student activities office, knew budget cuts were coming when SOU President Mary Cullinan called an all-campus meeting on the first day of winter term to follow up on dire financial news she presented in November. But Ochs, who has worked at SOU for 32 years, didn't expect to have her position eliminated for the second time in four years. "It was totally unexpected," she said. "You start to wonder if any of it is safe. I don't think there's any job security anywhere." Ochs' previous job as office manager in SOU's health and physical education department was eliminated in budget cuts four years ago, but her seniority enabled her to transfer to a new post. She picked a job in the student union, where she hoped for added job security as many programs are partly funded by student activity fees. Now she's weighing her options again — retirement or a different job at SOU — while the announced layoffs are phased in between now and the end of June. Advertisement The cuts Cullinan announced Jan. 8 included 11 jobs in student affairs, one position in institutional advancement and four full-time and two part-time jobs in business services. In addition to that total of 17 full-time-equivalent posts, eight vacant positions across the same departments won't be filled. Those trims, plus savings in energy use and travel restrictions, should make up $2.4 million of the university's $4 million shortfall brought on by declining enrollment, shrinking state support and rising energy and health care costs, officials said. Another $1.6 million will have to come out of the academic side. Those cuts, including possible elimination of tenured professor posts, will be proposed Jan. 22, opening a comment period called for in the professors' union contract. "We have to do difficult things and make tough decisions that will result in a stronger SOU," said Jonathan Eldridge, vice president for student affairs. "These are changes that were coming — were overdue, in fact — and the budget situation has escalated things." In planning the cuts, officials tried to find ways to reduce expenses while efficiently serving students and even improving services, he explained. Putting financial aid, registration and business services where students pay tuition in one place, right next to the admissions office, will create a one-stop enrollment center that can be staffed with fewer employees and will be easier for students to navigate, he said. The university has state funds to remodel Britt Hall to accommodate the enrollment center, which should be up and running by fall 2007. Federal grants will help the university bring a community-based learning program, a similar civic engagement program and its career-development center together in the Stevenson Union next to the student leadership center, so they can all work together more efficiently with fewer employees, Eldridge said. All those programs put academics in context and help students make community connections so they are more prepared for careers after graduation, he said. "It's a bit of irony, but the silver lining is that we are making this a better place, a sustainable place," Eldridge said. Still, he acknowledged that the week after the cuts were announced was an emotional roller coaster and people needed time to grieve. "It's grim," said Chris McClusky, of Ashland, who is studying criminology and criminal justice at SOU. "Tuition has gone up so much, and so have all the fees — health fees and technology fees. Now we're wondering who will lose their jobs." She said she's particularly concerned about faculty layoffs that could swell already large classes in the popular criminology department or make it harder for students to get the classes they need in time to graduate. "I'm hoping that the cuts they have made are cuts we can live with, that it was fat and not muscle," said Roger Wykes, a student worker in the student activities office. A senior from Bend earning his bachelor of fine arts in theater design, Wykes said he understood that something needed to be done to deal with budget problems, but he still wondered how all the necessary work could be done with fewer people. "I'm glad I'm leaving," said Renae Desautel, a senior from Medford who will graduate in the spring with majors in economics and psychology. She said in her six years on campus she has seen tuition increase steeply and services dwindle. "It's a sad thing," she said. Scott Morrell, who works in the registrar's office tracking transfer courses, said employees hope the worst is behind them now. "We knew changes were coming, but we didn't expect them to be so quick or so drastic," he said. "Change is scary, but it's an opportunity." Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485 or at [email protected] Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Trunks, Footlocker Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Discount Hotel Reservations Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Debt Help New Hampshire Primary