OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
GUIDELINES FOR FACULTY FTE REDUCTIONS*
UNDER FINANCIAL EMERGENCY
January 4, 1982

As stated in the Budgets & Fiscal Planning Committee's "Guidelines for Possible Budget Cuts," which was adopted by the Senate in May 1981 and reaffirmed unanimously on December 3, 1981, the Faculty are opposed to layoffs or furloughs as a means of reducing the budget. Nevertheless, it appears that if the actions of the State Board of Higher Education on December 11 are accepted, a three- or four-day layoff will be required in the 1981-82 academic year. It is less clear whether or not an estimated 12-1/2 day layoff for 9-month Faculty and a 16-1/2 day layoff for 12-month Faculty suggested by the Board will be required in 1982-83. The Committee is aware of the complexities in the implementation of any partial reduction of FTE plan and, for that reason, will not propose detailed mechanisms for the layoffs. However, should the administration resort to layoffs, we recommend that the following Guidelines be adhered to as closely as feasible:

As general Guidelines, the layoffs should provide for:

1.  Successive full days, not partial days.
2.  Layoff days for instructional Faculty during regularly scheduled class days at the beginning or end of a term.
3.  Flexibility in administration to the school, college, program, or experiment station level, but with Faculty consultation and Presidential approval (once items 1. and 2. are taken into account).

If such layoffs should be mandated, it is recommended that they occur during the Spring of 1983, thus postponing the layoff period as long as possible. Such a scheme would enable students, faculty, and administrators maximum time in which to plan alternative uses of their time. This would have the further advantage of maintaining two normal terms.

For 12-month Faculty, including those whose duties may not involve instruction, a more flexible timing of the layoff may be required due to the broad range and sometimes specialized nature of their work. In general, however, it is urged that the layoffs follow the suggestions outlined above, that is, blocks of time should be used wherever possible.

It should be possible through the use of outside finds (e.g., gifts, grants, or contracts) to replace lost compensation due to the layoffs. Sources for such compensation should be actively sought, and used for this purpose when possible.

The Committee reiterates its STRONG OPPOSITION to layoffs as a method of budget reduction. The Ad Hoc Committee on Guidelines for Faculty Layoffs is composed of R. Becker, R. McMahon, D. Faulkenberry, & R. Scanlan.

* The commonly used terms "layoff," furlough," "reduced FTE," and "pay reductions" are considered to have the same meaning.

3/18/82