More programs and faculty positions are being eliminated as a result of SDSU’s $4.7 million budget cuts.
“Business as usual cannot be sustained,” President David Chicoine said in his Monday Morning Message email April 11. “These changes will have an impact on people, programs and operations.”
Some of these changes include shutting down the Olson Agricultural Analytical Service Laboratory, which is a research entity within the SDSU Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Department. With this, the 17 employees who work there will have their positions terminated.
“We’ve been kind of in a state of total shock,” said Nancy Thiex, a professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences and the OAASL laboratory manager.
College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences Dean Barry Dunn held a meeting April 11 with employees at the Shamrock in Brookings.
“It’s not a matter that any of these people didn’t work hard … . It’s not that at all,” Dunn said. “This is a really sad day. These are long-tenured, hard-working, great folks. … These are tough choices. There’s nothing fair about it.”
Mike Lockrem, University Relations director of marketing and communications, gave the official statement for the university this morning.
“The university officials are meeting individually with the people whose employment will be affected by decreased state funding,” Lockrem said. “A statement of actions regarding [budget-balancing decisions] will be made public later this week.”
Lawrence Novotny is a senior chemist who has been working at the OAASL since 1970. He and Thiex said the lab generates its own income, so shutting it down is “a mistake.”
“No one here is happy about it, as expected,” Novotny said. “… we view it as being a mistake, but of course the administration has to make the decision.”
The OAASL terminations will take effect Oct. 21.
“We have six months to do whatever [we] need to do,” Thiex said.
Thiex said the 17 people are still in “a state of shock and upset,” and is not sure what they will do now.
“It could mean a lot of people leaving the community, seeking employment elsewhere,” Thiex said. “Many will have to if we can’t find a way to relocate our lab within the city.”
Other areas of the university are seeing cuts as well. Lowell Haag, director and production manager for Ag-Bio Communications, confirmed that his unit and its nine employees have been eliminated. Thiex also said the soil testing lab and the physics department have been cut, but respective representatives would not comment on this.
University officials will discuss these matters publicly at the April 20 town hall budget meeting at 3 p.m. in Doner Auditorium.
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Wow, good thing I already took the physics class I need for my major!
Oh, who needs an education in science anyway? As long as the athletic dept. has everything it wants and needs, stop your whining…
WOW
If SDSU is so broke why doesn’t Chicone take a pay cut? He is getting TONS of money from us, and also from Monsanto where he serves on the board of directors!! Instead of firing people, he should donate part of HIS salary to cover some of the budget cuts!!
I agree that the president could use a pay cut. I stand to be corrected but I believe he gets paid 270,000 a year. And yes some cuts to the athletic department wouldn’t be a bad a bad idea as well, I think athletes already get enough perks as it is. I also could see some cuts in those programs they have in the union that very few people attend. And let’s not forget this building that they are spending money on for the bum-mobile, is that REALLY necessary? One last point is that SDSU is an agriculture based university (ya know the old name MOO-U?) So why would we cut there when you could be getting rid of useless programs such as interior design and ceramics?
The President of SDSU’s salary is currently $323,000 per year. He gets an additional $195,000 salary per year from Monsanto and an equal amount in stock.
$713,000 annually = 6.2 South Dakota governors = 1.8 United States Presidents