The economic conditions within the United States continue to worsen, and recently, despite the shelter RPI has provided, the declining state of the economy has nonetheless touched our campus. Prior to the beginning of winter break, the administration laid off 98 staff members, several of whom had served Rensselaer for decades, and provided them with severance packages. Unfortunately, the decisions made by the Institute aren’t foreign to the country at the moment. Nationally, 11 percent of post-secondary institutions have had to lay off staff members. Additionally, 26 percent of post-secondary institutions are considering laying off staff members, according to a survey of over 200 public and private four-year schools conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education and Moody’s Investors Service. Despite the exploration of numerous options laying off staff members was, regrettably, the best solution to address financial concerns, according to the administration.
It is lamentable that, despite the need to lay off staff, a more compassionate means of doing so wasn’t determined. If this decision had been handled more diplomatically, there might not be quite as strong of an outcry from students, staff, and faculty. The Rensselaer community was caught off guard by the timing of the decision and the lack of information prior to that decision. The manner in which this action was carried out has reflected poorly on the Institute; RPI has been receiving quite a bit of attention in both local and national media for the layoffs. There were benefits and resources made available through the Office of Human Resources to try and help former staff members transition to other positions, and the positions that were eliminated were selected in an attempt to minimize negative impacts to campus as much as possible. However, this decision is a drastic change to the community here at RPI, and the lack of information provided has left many feeling alienated. Even after the decision was made, the administration didn’t make much of an effort to inform the student body as some would have hoped.
We hope that the administration will find better ways to address the financial crisis with both students and faculty by providing more transparency and perhaps forums for discussion, given the lack of information the campus is currently suffering from. The economy is a topic that will affect everyone in years to come and we would like to see members of the institute working towards a common goal: to improve RPI.
