ATHABASCA – The NDP opposition claims 3,500 layoffs are happening at post-secondary institutions across the province due to the UCP budget, including 300 at Athabasca University, a figure that the institution denies is true.
NDP Advanced Education critic David Eggen said May 26 that the number is a “running total that’s on its way up.”
“I’m quite concerned about that. Our colleges and universities can provide us some hope for the future for learning and for economic diversity. I think a lot of people really know that at this point, our colleges and universities are one of the best assets we have but also are in jeopardy right now,” he said.
In a May 28 tweet, Rachel Notley offered a list of the layoffs happening at institutions across the province, claiming AU was losing 300 employees.
But Angie Zander, manager of communications at Athabasca University, told T&C May 29 that the number is “completely false.”
“AU is not laying off people at this point. We have over 1,200 team members so laying off over 25 per cent of our team would be very detrimental to the future of AU. We have no intention of doing that. We’re continuing to work with the government of Alberta to figure out what those cuts look like and we still haven’t received all the information from them,” said Zander.
In a previous interview in the April 7 edition of Town and Country This Week, Dr. Jolene Armstrong, president of the AU Faculty Association, claimed 300 layoffs were possible.
At the time, she said it was one of the only options to meet the savings target of $34 million over three years – $28 million in 2020 alone – imposed by the provincial government.
She clarified May 27 via e-mail that no layoffs or reductions have happened so far.
“However, there are have been statements from executive administration indicating that there are likely to be layoffs as a result of the (government’s) "Expenditure Reduction Targets." We understand from the ministry that the implementation of the targets has been delayed for the time being due to the covid-19 situation,” she wrote.
“This poses a difficult situation for the university's administration – a reduction in the staff of that size would result in irreparable harm to the functionality of the university, in particular at a time when AU is experiencing a sizable growth in enrollment.”
She added that in April, 53 voluntary buyouts occurred, and most of them are expected to be filled; some have been posted on the university’s careers page for re-hiring.
For Armstrong, layoffs are still a possibility at AU, and for the NDP, they’re a reality at other campuses across the province, all due to underfunding higher education in the 2020 budget.
“I find that particularly concerning. I also know, and the UCP knows as well, that we have a very large young population that’s just in grade school now that will need more spaces in colleges and universities, not less,” said Eggen.
T&C staff was alerted May 27 that two out of three specializations under the Master of Counselling program have been placed on hold for 2020 admissions.
But Zander says the decision had nothing to do with budget cuts, and was communicated in early January, before the admissions deadline.
“This has to do with what students are asking from us and what their needs are. They are consolidating efforts in some of the programs,” she said. For the counselling program, over 90 per cent chose the one specialization that remains active, and it made “no sense” to run the other two.
Andreea Resmerita, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @andreea_res
