Coronavirus-related cutbacks affect about 130 auxiliary workers at Fresno State
About 130 “auxiliary employees” who worked on and around Fresno State have been laid off or furloughed since schools across the nation shut down in March, the university has confirmed.
The “significant” reduction in revenue from dining, housing, parking, athletics, bookstores, University Student Union, Student Recreation Center, Save Mart Center and other operations has impacted employees who work in those areas, spokesperson Lisa Boyles said.
“The university has a number of recognized auxiliary organizations that are separate 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit organizations and, as such, they are considered private employers,” Boyles said.
Layoffs and furloughs at the university come as Fresno State braces to lose millions of dollars in its upcoming budget. Fresno State has lost about $13 million in revenue for the current year, President Joseph I. Castro has said.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced 10% budget cuts to California State University and the University of California. California State University Chancellor Timothy White also announced campuses wouldn’t reopen in the fall, and classes would be held virtually, with few exceptions for hands-on courses.
“The University has taken several proactive steps to reduce expenses in the midst of this crisis, including pausing events and travel, and halting non-critical searches for new hires,” campus officials said in a statement. “In addition, each vice president will develop a budget reduction plan for fiscal year 2020-21 in anticipation of more clarity around state funding in the coming months.”
Originally, Newsom’s January proposal included $18.1 billion in state funding for higher education. The updated budget Newsom released Thursday lowers that funding to $16.3 billion for the 23 California State University campuses, 10 University of California schools, and more than 200 California Community Colleges’ districts, campuses and centers.
The revised blueprint cuts 10% in funding for both university systems, which equals $338 million in reductions for UC and $398 million for CSU. The UC will also take another $34.4 million hit in funding for the president’s office, human resource services, and the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Last week, The State Center Community College District was preparing for a potential $36 million budget loss.
This story has been corrected to note that university officials said the laid-off employees did not work directly for Fresno State.
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This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Coronavirus-related cutbacks affect about 130 auxiliary workers at Fresno State."