BUFFALO, N.Y. — Canisius College and its Board of Trustees are making several layoffs. That's because of a $20 million budget deficit the school is facing.
Officials from the college say a loss in tuition revenue is the number one reason for it, in addition to the impacts of COVID-19 on the college.
Professors tell 2 On Your Side the most frustrating part about the layoffs is that their colleagues are taking the hit from a budget deficit that was not their fault. They say the budget has been an issue at Canisius for years and the way the college has handled the situation makes them feel like they've been left in the dark.
"We understand there's budget difficulties, we're not a bunch of naive dreamers, we understand that," said Tanya Loughead, a philosophy professor and AAUP president at Canisius. "But if cuts need to be made, they have to be made in an open and transparent way and in a way that is best for the future of the college. And what the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) is arguing is neither of those things have happened."
In a letter sent out Monday to faculty by Canisius College President John Hurley, he says the school is laying off 71 staff members. Twenty-five of those are professors in departments Hurley says just doesn't have many students.
"So I don't think they're in the dark," Hurley said. "The faculty has been represented in these discussions over the last month and a half by representatives of the faculty Senate."
Hurley says that consisted of the Faculty Senate, the Senate's Executive Committee and the Senate's representatives to the College Budget Committee.
He says Loughead was not on the call because she is not part of the Senate discussions that began in early June.
Most of the layoffs were tenured positions. However, Loughead says both tenured and untenured professors were not laid off under the guidelines the Canisius College faculty handbook and the AAUP set forth.
For tenured professors, it includes declaring financial exigency. It's a process that includes reducing staff size due to a lack of funds.
There's then supposed to be a transparent review program to notify employees their position could be terminated.
"That is the process that is supposed to happen when you re-evaluate a college and its priorities. And when you try to do program review in a fair, open and transparent way, none of that has happened here. So we have several violations of national AAUP policies," Loughead said.
According to Hurley, there will be no financial exigency either.
"Would be a very lengthy, lengthy process and we're just not going to pursue that," he added.
He says the Faculty Handbook and Academic Program Board bylaws allow Canisius to eliminate programs that have low enrollment and terminate those faculty without having to declare a financial exigency, and the Board of Trustees can also bypass it.
Hurley says the Board has agreed to give one year's severance or a terminal one-year contract for staff who have been laid off.
However, there's been a change.org petition started, which at last check had over 3,500 signatures. There's also a GoFundMe page for those who wish to help faculty with legal defense costs.