Dear Chancellor Wilcox,
We respectfully disagree with your August 28, 2020 statement and the preliminary recommendations of the campus’ Budget Advisory Committee that budget cuts at UCR are necessary. We believe UCR, and UC as a whole, can manage current revenue shortfalls by using reserves and borrowing power, rather than resort to austerity in the form of layoffs and program cuts. Already this summer UCR administrators laid off workers, and additional layoffs are planned along with other budget cuts that further reduce campus employment and create hardships for workers, including student workers, and their families.
These budget cuts and layoffs are unnecessary. By using reserve funds, and reallocating funding for UCPD, UCR can serve the needs of students and pay the staff that are essential to our campus.
Research by the UC Coalition of Unions (UCCU) shows that there are sufficient “rainy day” funds for UC to avoid staff layoffs and other cutbacks. According to a May 19, 2020 research presentation by the UCCU: “Based on its cash reserves, working capital and endowment pools, strong credit, and through potential administrative savings, UC does not need to be bound to a strategy of austerity” (https://cucfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020.5.19-UC-can-avoid-austerity.pdf).
According to Claudia Preparata, Research Director for AFSCME 3299, “UC is remarkably well-positioned to not only withstand the near term fiscal disruption associated with COVID-19 and lead California’s recovery, but to avoid austerity measures that would devastate low-income students and tens of thousands of essential frontline workers.” (https://cucfa.org/2020/05/uc-has-billions-for-post-covid-recovery/).
Along with the Council of UC Faculty Associations and other higher education unions and organizations, we believe that “College and University Executives should use all rainy day funds, reserves, investments, endowments and other resources at their disposal to center the care of workers and students first, including continuation or extension of pay for undergraduate and graduate workers, and ensure we keep colleges and universities whole. Why do we have “rainy day funds” if not for use during a once-in-a-generation global disaster? …This is why we saved billions in rainy day funds! All regents, board members, and trustees should move immediately to use any and all funds needed.” (https://cucfa.org/2020/05/not-just-reopen-transform-higher-ed/).
We call upon you and other UC leaders to refuse austerity and advocate that UCOP and the Regents use reserve funds to reinstate laid off workers, avoid further staff layoffs, and prevent other budget cutbacks that take away employment opportunities for students, staff, and faculty and compromise the quality of public higher education. In keeping with the UC-wide call to disinvest from campus police, we call on you to defund UCPD and reallocate the funding to crucial staff positions and services for students.
We need to protect our capacity for teaching, research, and service excellence, especially at this time, when we are facing unprecedented challenges.
Sincerely,
The Board of the Riverside Faculty Association:
Chris Chase-Dunn, Sociology (Vice Chair and Treasurer)
Farah Godrej, Political Science
Patricia Morton, Media and Cultural Studies (Chair)
Ellen Reese, Sociology (Secretary)
Setsu Shigamatsu, Media and Cultural Studies
Samantha Ying, Environmental Sciences
cc:
UCR Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, Thomas M. Smith
UCR Vice Chancellor for Business and Administrative Services, Gerard Bomotti
UCR Chair of the Riverside Division of the Academic Senate, Jason Stajich
UCR Vice-Chair of the Riverside Division of the Academic Senate, Christiane Weirauch