STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The City University of New York (CUNY) plans to make tens of millions of dollars in budget cuts across eight college campuses — including the College of Staten Island (CSI) in Willowbrook, according to a faculty member and union officials.
CUNY faculty, staff and union leaders in the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) are speaking out in opposition to the administration’s plan to make the cuts at the campuses. The opposition came hours before the CUNY trustees approved on Monday the budget request for next year.
The university system ordered various colleges — including Brooklyn College, Queens College and York College — to submit “enhanced deficit reduction plans,” according to memos sent by the administration. And according to PSC union leaders, a total of eight colleges will be impacted by the cuts, including CSI.
A faculty member at the college, Alyson Bardley, associate professor, told the Advance/SILive.com that CSI President Timothy Lynch confirmed during a faculty senate meeting last week that the school is one of the eight colleges affected.
And although at least four other CUNY colleges will be impacted by the budget cuts, a full list of the schools has not been disclosed.
“President Lynch acknowledged that we were — that we were on the list of eight that were suffering budget cuts. So he said that in the meeting, and I think the number that he mentioned was over $2 million,” said Bardsley, referring to the cuts at CSI.
When asked if cuts would mean retrenchment or the scaling back of programs, Lynch said that CSI has a plan and will work to “enroll” their way out of cuts, according to Bardley.
“He said that they have a plan, and it doesn’t involve retrenchment,” she added.
CUNY did not confirm when asked if CSI is one of the eight schools experiencing budget cuts.
According to the PSC, other colleges experiencing cuts include:
- $3.5 million this year and another $4.5 million next year at Brooklyn College
- $4.3 million this year and another $4.3 million next year at Queens College
- $1.9 million this year and another $1.9 million next year at York College
These cuts come just after $128 million in internal cuts were demanded of CUNY colleges for the last two years.
Areas for deficit reduction recommended by CUNY include decreasing adjunct faculty, limiting elective offerings, increasing section enrollment caps, closing low-enrolled sections, raising minimum enrollment required for a course to run, and decreasing personnel spending, according to the union.
The reductions mean that students would have fewer course offerings and larger classes, longer wait times for services, and reduced access to advisement, counseling, libraries, and labs, according to union officials. Maintenance for CUNY facilities would also be delayed.
Adjunct faculty, who teach a large portion of CUNY courses and are hired on a class-by-class basis, would lose course assignments — and possibly lose health insurance coverage, according to the PSC.
“We don’t want to see a version of CUNY that’s run by bean counters who would rather cut the budget than fight for the funding CUNY needs,” said PSC CUNY President James Davis. “These cuts will mean students have a harder time filling the requirements for their major, their minor and overall requirements to graduate. Furthermore, the relentless cuts, since the pandemic, have had a tremendous effect on morale at CUNY. The PSC understands the fiscal realities facing CUNY and its board, but there needs to be a strong educational vision, with the resources necessary to support that vision.”
A CUNY spokesperson said the university system is an “indispensable engine of upward mobility“ for generations of New Yorkers prepares graduates for the workforce.
“Over the last years, the University has taken many steps to address budget deficits across the system by implementing cost-saving measures and efficiencies while increasing fundraising and public-private partnerships,” stated a CUNY spokesperson. “That work is ongoing and includes a targeted plan to help some CUNY colleges that are still exhibiting acute financial warning signs. Unfortunately, these actions alone are not enough. To avoid more drastic measures, we look forward to working with our partners in government in the coming months to advocate for resources to help CUNY realize our mission to lift New York.”