Uconn expecting a $50 million deficit

[pepband99]

It's not even July yet and it's already becoming increasingly clear that universities and states will not have a handle on things come September. Many universities are right now experiencing a revolt from faculty and workers. Just as an anecdote: the common wisdom has been that parents and students want to return to campus in the fall (and to the petri-dish dorms) BUT, my classes have already been switched from in person to online for the fall. AFTER they were switched over a week ago, students started to pour in and enroll. I don't know why--it could be a variety of reasons, but I would not automatically assume that students want in person classes during a pandemic. I went from 30 enrollees to just over 40 for what is ostensibly supposed to be a small seminar with a 35 person cap (I long ago waived caps for my courses).

Simple - known vs. unknown.

I think many are/were sitting on the sidelines, waiting to see what would open fully, or go online. It's becoming increasingly obvious that there will be impact in the fall, so an online course is "fine" in context.

 

[JohnFSilver]

When they choose not to forego the raise is when this all gets interesting.

The governor could call an emergency and reopen the union contract.

The state employees deserve the wage increase. They have forgone raises for so long, ridiculously long, and have had health care costs massively eat into their pay.

Either your workforce is valuable, or it isn’t. Pension obligations for excessive comps of yesteryear is what is killing the budget, not headcount.

Lamont is probably right as a businessman, insane to raise salary increase in era of declining revenue. But they didn’t do right by the employees last 10 plus years.

Look at the fiasco with services during this crisis. High stress, and you don’t want to pay them?

 

[JohnFSilver]

When they choose not to forego the raise is when this all gets interesting.

It's not even July yet and it's already becoming increasingly clear that universities and states will not have a handle on things come September. Many universities are right now experiencing a revolt from faculty and workers. Just as an anecdote: the common wisdom has been that parents and students want to return to campus in the fall (and to the petri-dish dorms) BUT, my classes have already been switched from in person to online for the fall. AFTER they were switched over a week ago, students started to pour in and enroll. I don't know why--it could be a variety of reasons, but I would not automatically assume that students want in person classes during a pandemic. I went from 30 enrollees to just over 40 for what is ostensibly supposed to be a small seminar with a 35 person cap (I long ago waived caps for my courses).

What is the feeling on sports from a faculty perspective? I find it hard to believe faculty and staff will want athletes who flew around the country interacting with them. Yes, chance of an athlete dying with corona is small. But asymptomatic transmission for an athlete to an at risk professor is a lot to ask.

The amount of testing players are gonna need is going to be obnoxious.

 

[CL82]

What is the feeling on sports from a faculty perspective? I find it hard to believe faculty and staff will want athletes who flew around the country interacting with them. Yes, chance of an athlete dying with corona is small. But asymptomatic transmission for an athlete to an at risk professor is a lot to ask.

The amount of testing players are gonna need is going to be obnoxious.

Assuming they are wearing masks and social distancing in faculty/student interactions, how big a risk is that?

 

[upstater]

What is the feeling on sports from a faculty perspective? I find it hard to believe faculty and staff will want athletes who flew around the country interacting with them. Yes, chance of an athlete dying with corona is small. But asymptomatic transmission for an athlete to an at risk professor is a lot to ask.

The amount of testing players are gonna need is going to be obnoxious.

Haven't even considered the athletic perspective, and I've been in a lot of meetings this week. It's almost irrelevant for us because of the near certainty that a lot of students will contract the virus in the dorms. So, the athlete concern is not a big one. The medical science folks in these meetings paint a picture of near certainty.

 

[CL82]

Haven't even considered the athletic perspective, and I've been in a lot of meetings this week. It's almost irrelevant for us because of the near certainty that a lot of students will contract the virus in the dorms. So, the athlete concern is not a big one. The medical science folks in these meetings paint a picture of near certainty.

So what is the faculty plan?

 

[JohnFSilver]

Haven't even considered the athletic perspective, and I've been in a lot of meetings this week. It's almost irrelevant for us because of the near certainty that a lot of students will contract the virus in the dorms. So, the athlete concern is not a big one. The medical science folks in these meetings paint a picture of near certainty.

Great. I guess the goal is to limit spread until a vaccine. Try not to get it, but assume you are.

 

[upstater]

So what is the faculty plan?

This is what the revolt is about. Some faculty are being required to teach face-to-face. Others aren't. The selection process is peculiar.

On campus, classes are going to run 7am until 11pm (one hour earlier and one hour later than normal) and also on Saturdays.

This is being done to maximize classroom space for in person classes, but since the new capacity for each classroom is 1/10th of what it used to be, and since there are requirements for emptying the classroom and cleaning it between classes (done by faculty), everything is tightly packed, and most classes can't be in person.

You can imagine already why there is great consternation.

It's not even that we can't socially distance in a classroom or clean it. As faculty, I'm very willing to do that. It's the pedagogy of lecturing through a mask. (I couldn't even order a sandwich today when I was 2 feet from the woman behind the counter!) It's the fact that 20 year olds in a dorm will find it impossible to socially distance themselves. We all know this is true. The classrooms can't be safe if the dorms aren't. It's that simple.

 

[CL82]

since there are requirements for emptying the classroom and cleaning it between classes (done by faculty)

What?! I get the pragmatism of it, but how is that the faculty's job?

It's not even that we can't socially distance in a classroom or clean it. As faculty, I'm very willing to do that. It's the pedagogy of lecturing through a mask. (I couldn't even order a sandwich today when I was 2 feet from the woman behind the counter!) It's the fact that 20 year olds in a dorm will find it impossible to socially distance themselves. We all know this is true. The classrooms can't be safe if the dorms aren't. It's that simple.

My thought is given the distance between student and teach in a classroom, with masks for everyone, it doesn't seem like unmanageable risk. I agree with you that COVID-19 getting onto campus and spreading like wildfire seems inevitable and that that inevitability is less risky for students than it is for faculty.

 

[Watchdog]

The governor could call an emergency and reopen the union contract.

The state employees deserve the wage increase. They have forgone raises for so long, ridiculously long, and have had health care costs massively eat into their pay.

Either your workforce is valuable, or it isn’t. Pension obligations for excessive comps of yesteryear is what is killing the budget, not headcount.

Lamont is probably right as a businessman, insane to raise salary increase in era of declining revenue. But they didn’t do right by the employees last 10 plus years.

Look at the fiasco with services during this crisis. High stress, and you don’t want to pay them?

Hopefully your question at the end was rhetorical and not directed at me, but you raised a couple points I'd like to comment on.

As you read my comments, though, recognize that I believe we've been living on too much borrowed money, both federal and state. It's a big reason we enjoy such a high standard of living compared to the rest of the world. Bigger houses, more cars, big TV's, premium seating at UConn games, timeshares, boats, fabulous urinals for Chief, etc. The trouble is it just seems logical that it will end badly at some point and it increasingly looks as if it will happen sooner than later. The big question to me is whether our elected officials will choose to print so much money the currency collapses and all hell breaks loose. If you don't believe it can happen I have a $100 Trillion Zimbabwean note I'd like you to break for me. I have one left. Gave one to my brother-in-law for Christmas a couple years ago.

As a "businessman", Lamont could be thinking the wages the state paid the last ten years were all the state could afford to pay and the employees were free to take higher paying jobs elsewhere if they weren't happy with their jobs. Two of my cousins worked in the state's healthcare finance division and, even as supervisors, worked only 6.75 hours per day. And that was considered full time. Where do you find that kind of work day or system in the private sector?

You raised the question of pension obligations, and it seems it's only a matter of time before some states declare bankruptcy to revise the pension payouts they're currently obligated to make and I have a good example why.

8 summers as a lifeguard and 30 years as a teacher, plus a sweetheart deal to get higher paid teachers to retire early, got a relative on Long Island to jump at a retirement offer. The retirement pay was based on his last year of work (not 3 or 5 years as is typical in the private sector) and he volunteered for some extra work that year to build his salary. His highest salary before that year was about $60,000, he retired at about $80,000 per year (20 years ago), and with COLA's he's now over $100,000 per year plus health benefits.

He's one guy. Imagine how many tens of thousands more there are like him and ask yourself how much longer the workers in NY state can afford to pay the taxes it will take to meet all those obligations.

I don't know if NY is underfunded on its pension obligations, but Illinois is underfunded by (drumroll please) $137.3 Billion. Didn't matter to Kofi and probably doesn't matter to the people of Illinois until they don't get checks, but it will matter to the taxpayers in states run more responsibly who just may have to ante up to bail them out.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Hopefully your question at the end was rhetorical and not directed at me, but you raised a couple points I'd like to comment on.

As you read my comments, though, recognize that I believe we've been living on too much borrowed money, both federal and state. It's a big reason we enjoy such a high standard of living compared to the rest of the world. Bigger houses, more cars, big TV's, premium seating at UConn games, timeshares, boats, fabulous urinals for Chief, etc. The trouble is it just seems logical that it will end badly at some point and it increasingly looks as if it will happen sooner than later. The big question to me is whether our elected officials will choose to print so much money the currency collapses and all hell breaks loose. If you don't believe it can happen I have a $100 Trillion Zimbabwean note I'd like you to break for me. I have one left. Gave one to my brother-in-law for Christmas a couple years ago.

As a "businessman", Lamont could be thinking the wages the state paid the last ten years were all the state could afford to pay and the employees were free to take higher paying jobs elsewhere if they weren't happy with their jobs. Two of my cousins worked in the state's healthcare finance division and, even as supervisors, worked only 6.75 hours per day. And that was considered full time. Where do you find that kind of work day or system in the private sector?

You raised the question of pension obligations, and it seems it's only a matter of time before some states declare bankruptcy to revise the pension payouts they're currently obligated to make and I have a good example why.

8 summers as a lifeguard and 30 years as a teacher, plus a sweetheart deal to get higher paid teachers to retire early, got a relative on Long Island to jump at a retirement offer. The retirement pay was based on his last year of work (not 3 or 5 years as is typical in the private sector) and he volunteered for some extra work that year to build his salary. His highest salary before that year was about $60,000, he retired at about $80,000 per year (20 years ago), and with COLA's he's now over $100,000 per year plus health benefits.

He's one guy. Imagine how many tens of thousands more there are like him and ask yourself how much longer the workers in NY state can afford to pay the taxes it will take to meet all those obligations.

I don't know if NY is underfunded on its pension obligations, but Illinois is underfunded by (drumroll please) $137.3 Billion. Didn't matter to Kofi and probably doesn't matter to the people of Illinois until they don't get checks, but it will matter to the taxpayers in states run more responsibly who just may have to ante up to bail them out.

Wasn't meant for you. Rhetorical. Please don't take offense.

 

[upstater]

What?! I get the pragmatism of it, but how is that the faculty's job?

My thought is given the distance between student and teach in a classroom, with masks for everyone, it doesn't seem like unmanageable risk. I agree with you that COVID-19 getting onto campus and spreading like wildfire seems inevitable and that that inevitability is less risky for students than it is for faculty.

Now that it's mostly young people getting it, the death rate is low... but a bug chunk of these young kids are coming down with debilitating syndromes. Last summer I asked about Lyme disease on the boneyard figuring that Connecticut people have a experience. A big chunk of our boneyarders have debilitating syndromes post-Lyme. It's the kind of thing we don't worry enough about.

 

[upstater]

I don't know if NY is underfunded on its pension obligations, but Illinois is underfunded by (drumroll please) $137.3 Billion. Didn't matter to Kofi and probably doesn't matter to the people of Illinois until they don't get checks, but it will matter to the taxpayers in states run more responsibly who just may have to ante up to bail them out.

Most of the younger state workforce was switched to 403bs 20 years ago.

We did find out today that our annual 2% July wage was erased (even though it's in the union contract). No word on when/how/if it will be revisited. We only know it is not going to happen in July. It will be revisited at some point in the fall.

 

[bendm]

UCF receives $7.4 million in revenue as part of annual payout from AAC

UCF’s recent athletic success continued to pay off, with the school earning a $7.47 million payout from the American Athletic Conference.

www.orlandosentinel.com

See last paragraph for payouts to all members

UCF ($7.4 million), Cincinnati ($6.04 million), USF ($5.615 million), Memphis ($4.685 million), Temple ($4.45 million), Houston ($4.354 million), Tulane ($3.608 million), East Carolina ($3.338 million), SMU ($3.297 million), Tulsa ($3.290 million), Navy ($1.978 million) and UConn ($1.08 million).

 

[huskymedic]

UCF receives $7.4 million in revenue as part of annual payout from AAC

UCF’s recent athletic success continued to pay off, with the school earning a $7.47 million payout from the American Athletic Conference.

www.orlandosentinel.com

See last paragraph for payouts to all members

>>Connecticut is leaving the conference on July 1, returning to the Big East Conference. The school and the league reached an agreement in which the Huskies would pay a $17 million exit fee by 2026. The Huskies received a smaller payout as part of that exit fee.<<

 

[FatHank]

Thank God for Unions!!!

 

[upstater]

Thank God for Unions!!!

We have a union too in NY. We were furloughed after 2008.
We just had our 2% raises canceled for the next year.

 

[Ha Who]

My son is going to be a senior. He was told his apartment will not be available and all his classes may be online. He is not happy and has to decide whether to go back to campus. Anyone else hearing this?

 

[dennismenace]

My son is going to be a senior. He was told his apartment will not be available and all his classes may be online. He is not happy and has to decide whether to go back to campus. Anyone else hearing this?

That is really disheartening news for him in what should be a year of celebration and anticipation. Flip side is it is looking very possibly as a new normal and a change in life as we knew it. We simply just don't know what it will bring but there is a need for both hope and acceptance that we may be entering a period of great challenge. Whatever we put into acceptance and adjustment will help us down the road. My granddaughter is going into her senior year of a very large high school and no one knows yet how the State and Local Board of Ed and health departments will pull this off. I am grateful at least that our state looks like it has handled the crisis better than almost all of the other states at this point. It will continue to be a challenge going forward but I am grateful we are not looking at the numbers in some other states. Best wishes to your son and family and all the youth and their families on going back to school.

 

[HooperScooper]

Iowa just reduced their athletics budget by $15 million. If a school like that, with the resources they have, has to reduce their budget then this is going reverberate through all of college athletics.

Iowa reduces budget by $15M because of virus

The Iowa athletic department on Tuesday announced budget reductions of about $15 million for the upcoming fiscal year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

www.espn.com