University of St. Francis Lays Off 23 Employees

Back in March, USF President Arvid Johnson told students that they have "nothing to worry about" concerning the university's financial situation due to the lack of MAP Grant funding from the state. Johnson stated, “We made substantial reductions in our non-labor budgets, expense budgets across the university to plug the gap in our cash flow.”

However, starting in the second week of May in the midst of the Illinois Budget Impasse, the University of St. Francis laid off 23 full time employees, 22 of these employees are female. The university is currently finishing up construction on the old Guardian Angel building on Theodore St. and is beginning construction on a brand new state of the art science building.

How does the university have money for all these renovations but not to pay their employees?

This news comes at a time when Johnson is connected to the federal investigation of Lincoln Way District 210. Johnson was a board member for eight years before resigning back in April. From 2011 to 2015, Johnson was board president and under supervision from the previous district superintendent, Lawrence Wyllie. Wyllie is now under investigation after taking unauthorized action during is time as superintendent. Until recently Wyllie was also a member of the Board of Trustees at USF.

Students at the university are very troubled by this news and when asking questions are told false information or that it is not their right to know. Some students have even been threatened with legal action. Is this the university's way of preventing bad press? Only time will tell as the rest of this mystery unfolds.