Protesters Rally Against Layoffs At William Paterson

WAYNE, NJ — William Paterson University officials say that the institution's $30 million deficit makes layoffs inevitable. But many students, staff and faculty had something to say about it.

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AFT (American Federation of Teachers) Local 1796, the college faculty union, protested the staff and faculty layoffs. The event took place before Friday's Board of Trustees meeting, which included the administration's plan to address the deficit over three years.

Administrative officials have said layoffs were necessary as the university deals with a structural deficit tied to declining enrollment, longterm budgetary issues and the pandemic.

"We are deeply saddened that layoffs are unavoidable and our administration is committed to continuing to work with all union leaders to reduce the number of layoffs as much as feasibly possible," said Stuart Goldstein, the university's vice president of marketing and public relations. "The process will remain dynamic, meaning that if we can work collaboratively to reduce the budget deficit, we will reduce the number of layoffs or rescind them."

The university intends to lay off 40 percent of its faculty over the next three years, according to AFT-1796. But Goldstein told Patch that the university "will have some painful but necessary decisions to make in the coming months."

Union members, however, contend that the cuts stem from inadequate state support for the minority-serving institution, a lack of oversight in New Jersey higher education and years of "poor fiscal and management decisions" from the university's previous president and board.

"We are going to fight for that money in Trenton, New Jersey, when this budget process begins," said Donna M. Chiera, president of the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey "But we can’t just say it needs to be money to William Paterson. Because William Paterson through the years [has] demonstrated they can’t manage their money. We need transparency because we need to know — where is all that money that the federal government just gave us?"

The university is dealing with fiscal implications resulting from a pandemic-related enrollment contraction, according to Goldstein. As a minority-serving institution, the pandemic disproportionately affected the students they serve, he says.

"Structural problems are rooted in a decade-long decline in enrollment due largely to the approximately 2,500 students we lose each year through attrition," Goldstein said. "Since regional demographic trends do not make it feasible to significantly increase the number of incoming students, retaining our students is increasingly important."

William Paterson is the third-most diverse public university in New Jersey, according to its website. Forty-five percent of students are the first in their families to attend university.

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