Slashes Softer; Felt All The Same (For Layoff Victims, Last Day Is Tuesday)
by Stephen Largen - News Star (excerpt)

Leaders from three area University of Louisiana System schools are breathing easier this week after a last-minute compromise by the Legislature last week nearly halved cuts to higher education. But leaders are far from celebrating and say they are taking steps to deal with equal and greater cuts in the next two years.

The Legislature's reduction in the cuts likely won't save jobs for most of the employees who were slated to be laid off under the schools' plans to deal with original slated cuts.

While the schools are waiting for Board of Regents staff to determine how much money the UL system will be allocated (It is taking time to determine the exact funding because the Legislature divided spending among several bills), the schools have already completed most of their staff and faculty cutting that was planned in anticipation of deeper cuts through layoffs, retirements and elimination of open positions.

GSU planned to eliminate 53 jobs: one filled tenure or tenure-track faculty, eight filled non-tenure faculty, seven vacant non-tenure faculty and 37 staff positions. For most of the layoff victims, their last day of work will be Tuesday because the next fiscal year starts Wednesday.