Update: YSU Says OEA’s Accusation of Targeted and Retaliatory Cuts is ‘Baseless’

Updated 4 p.m., 11/12: YSU response to OEA statement.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Youngstown State University has responded to the faculty union’s accusation that nonrenewal and retrenchment notifications sent to faculty Thursday are “targeted and retaliatory,” calling the accusation “baseless.”

In a news release from YSU Friday afternoon, the university affirmed nonrenewal and retrenchment notifications are going out to faculty per the contract and a memorandum of understanding that allows additional time to appeal the actions.

Most of the reduction in force is for faculty in programs designated as “sunset,” following an 18-month comprehensive review of more than 140 academic programs that found a number of programs have zero or few students, according to YSU. Others, as per the university’s comprehensive review, “are necessary to help programs in other designated categories reach their full potential,” YSU stated.

Earlier Friday, the Youngstown State University chapter of the Ohio Education Association responded to faculty members from a number of departments at YSU receiving email notices of non-reappointment on Nov. 11 when the university was closed in observance of Veterans Day.

Some faculty members who received letters are in programs listed as “Grow” and “Sustain.” In the union’s release, Susan Clutter, YSU OEA president, said the retrenchments seem “targeted and retaliatory.”

What follows is the entirety of the YSU and YSU OEA statements:

YSU Administration Statement

As per discussions across campus and the community, including detailed briefings with local news media, Youngstown State University has started notifications regarding downsizing a small number of university faculty.

The unfortunate need to downsize is the result of an 18-month comprehensive review of the university’s more than 140 academic programs that revealed several programs have zero or few students; as a result, those programs have been set for “sunset,” or elimination. As enrollment has declined, the university must adjust program offerings and ensure that the programs the university offers and that our faculty teach are those that attract enrollment, help students and allow the university to survive and thrive.

As for the faculty union’s latest news release, nonrenewal and retrenchment notifications are going out as per the contract and a memorandum of understanding that allows additional time to appeal the actions. The union leadership’s accusation that the actions are targeted and retaliatory is baseless.

Also, most of the reduction in force is, in fact, for faculty in programs designated as “sunset”. Others, as per the university’s comprehensive review, are necessary to help programs in other designated categories reach their full potential.

In addition, the university is, in fact, financially sound overall and not in dire straits, thanks to deliberate budget actions over the past several years. With the ever evolving higher education landscape, it is imperative, however, that we increase efficiencies for the university’s long-term academic vitality and financial sustainability. These difficult actions are the responsibility of the university administration.

We remain hopeful that the process now underway, while painful and regrettable, can be conducted in a professional, collegiate manner. It is only together that we can most effectively face our challenges and assure a vibrant future for YSU.

YSU OEA Statement

Faculty members from a number of departments at Youngstown State University received email notices of non-reappointment Nov. 11, while the university was closed in observance of Veteran’s Day.

Contrary to the assertion made by Provost Brien Smith and Vice President of Finance and Business Operations Neal McNally during press interviews Nov. 10, that layoffs at YSU will be in ‘sunsetted’ programs with “as few as zero students,” some tenure-track faculty in higher ranked programs received notice of non-reappointment Thursday.

Although previous meetings between YSU Administration and YSU OEA, the faculty union at YSU, left the union with the understanding that those faculty who were marked for retrenchment would be from programs slated for sunsetting, some faculty members who received letters yesterday are in programs listed as “Grow” and “Sustain” through the university’s Curricular Efficiency process – something that came as a complete surprise to YSU OEA members.

“We are in utter shock that YSU would cut faculty in programs that are healthy and that have solid enrollment,” Susan Clutter, YSU OEA president, said.

“Wednesday evening, the Union and the Administration signed a memorandum of understanding to extend the notification date for full-time faculty members discontinued for reasons of retrenchment from November 15 of the current academic year to November 22 of the current academic year, giving the Joint Retrenchment Committee a one-week extension of the deadline so they had time to write a report objecting to program sunsets.

“The ink wasn’t even dry on that MOU before people started getting their notices … and on a day the university was closed for business, no less,” Clutter added.

YSU OEA scheduled an emergency membership meeting Friday afternoon, but worries it may not be able to answer many of its members’ questions at that meeting, as all agreements made with YSU administration are now in question and the administration’s explanation of who and why they are cutting keeps changing.

“To be quite frank, many of these ‘retrenchments’ seem targeted and retaliatory,” Clutter said, noting that several faculty members who had received dismissal notices were key leaders in YSU OEA’s contract negotiations and strike actions in 2020.

“We say ‘retaliatory’ because all along, we had been led to believe that those faculty in sunset or adjust category programs were the most likely to receive retrenchment or non-renewal notices and that this was the result of a budget crisis” Clutter said.

However, as McNally indicated in the Nov. 10 press interview, YSU is ‘‘fiscally sound overall’’ and not in ‘‘dire straits,” despite earlier claims from NcNally and other members of administration that YSU is facing a structural deficit.

“That faculty in programs administration marked as ‘growing’ or ‘sustainable’ are receiving these notices as well makes no sense and calls into question everything faculty were told by administration about their ‘curricular efficiency’ audit process.

“They are eliminating tenure-track faculty in healthy programs while they’re expanding administration, giving administrators raises and increasing funding to athletics – clearly, YSU’s spending priorities need to be reassessed,” Clutter said.

YSU OEA is still waiting for YSU Administration to conduct the forensic audit of all non-academic units, a request for which was made by the YSU Academic Senate and supported by the YSU OEA in May.

YSU OEA leadership are currently working with local and state union officials to determine next steps.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.