Tough Day For Staff At UNBC

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

                                                                    -- photo courtesy of UNBC

"I think staff is still somewhat unsettled because they don’t know where the cuts are going to be yet, so once that becomes public knowledge then that might allay the fears more." 

That’s Steven Storch, President of Cupe Local 3799, responding to word that 25 faculty and 25 non-faculty positions will be axed at UNBC.  Cuts, the university says, are necessary to erase a predicted $2-million dollar budget shortfall this year and stave off forecasted shortfalls of $6-million dollars in each of the following two years.

Unlike the faculty losses which will be phased in over the three years due to contractual obligations, some of the non-faculty positions will be cut immediately.

Cupe Local 3799 represents those other employee groups.  And UNBC President Don Cozzetto spent yesterday meeting with each and every group -- staff in the registrar’s office, library employees, tech support staff -- and others across campus to discuss the impending changes.

Storch says not a lot of information was shared as to specific job cuts yet, but he says Cozzetto had already briefed staff last week that the changes were coming.  "He was pretty candid that if we don’t do something now, three years from now we’d have to do something a lot more drastic."

So, while Storch knows it is going to be a bitter pill to swallow for those who lose their jobs, he does see the reasoning behind efforts to re-focus UNBC’s direction.

"I do agree with the president’s evaluation that, in the past, we’ve been a very broadly based university in terms of the types of programs that we’ve offered and maybe that’s been part of the downfall -- is that we’ve tried to be everything for everyone and we may need to become more specialized."  He says, "I guess the proof will be in the pudding three years down the road to see what that effect is on the outcome."

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