The University of Oregon recently cut 176 positions, including administrators, classified staff, and career faculty. Among the lost positions were 14 vacant tenure track positions. The cuts came amidst the Trump administration’s cuts to higher education and research funding, though the UO has not yet lost any federal funding. 

What does this mean for the undergraduate experience at the UO? Is this the start of a broader decline? The UO Administration, UO faculty, Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO), the UO Student Worker’s Union (UOSW), and United Academics all give us necessary context to fully understand the cuts.

UO President Karl Scholz and Provost Christopher P. Long frame the cuts as “steps we are taking to reduce the projected $25-30 million deficit in our Education & General Budget,” in a notice titled “September budget reduction information.” 

The notice points out that “closing the budget gap necessitated reducing our labor costs,” hence the elimination of positions, and also that they “were able to substantially close our budget deficit without eliminating any degree programs. And while we are cutting 20 filled career faculty positions and 14 unfilled tenure track faculty positions, we are not eliminating any filled tenure track faculty positions.” 

The notice also identified the following as the guiding principles through which job cuts were decided: Preserve the mission of the university; Consultation; Responsible, strategic adjustments; and Communication.

Shortly after the cuts, 64 faculty members of the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages signed a joint letter to notify the administration of their “alarm” regarding the cuts to the College of Arts and Sciences, cuts that seemed to  focus on humanities programs. 

Michael Stern, a professor of German and Scandinavian and at-large humanities representative for United Academics, said in an interview with the Daily Emerald that he “signed the letter because I feel like the future of education in Oregon is at stake. The university serves as a place of opportunities and possibilities for students that primary and secondary education might not have provided.”

On Sept. 4, ASUO passed a resolution that criticized the job cuts: “These cuts would impact every student at UO by eliminating the potential for valued and diverse education, which is more than just a major track of courses, but a distinctive community that is built at UO by the opportunities these programs and faculty provide each student.” ASUO Senator Kayla Fisher, who wrote the resolution, emphasized that this message came from a broad group of student organizations, not just ASUO.

The UO Student Workers Union has claimed that it is also facing job cuts, citing many employees not being reappointed to their jobs due to “unspecified performance issues.” A UO spokesperson clarified that there are 50 student positions that weren’t renewed, but also that staffing always varies year to year.

As students begin the first semester of the year at the UO, much seems uncertain. Based on pushback from student and faculty organizations, there may be a noticeable drop in the quality of education offered by the UO. Ideally, this will be a one-time necessity that will rectify the UO’s budget shortfall.

Article by Zev Wacks