Volume 119, Issue 23
the
VISTA “Our Words, Your Voice.”
Bait and switch
vistanews1903 @thevista1903 @thevista1903 The Vista ucentralmedia.com Tuesday, April 5, 2022
In a special meeting with a dean, faculty members asked questions about upcoming faculty layoffs, some feeling unsupported by the president. (The Vista/ Logan Gassett)
Neuhold-Ravikumar changes her reasoning for cutting faculty while low morale spreads on campus Ainsley Martinez Managing Editor
Four months after UCO President Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar announced faculty layoffs would take place this year to help reduce the $20 million budget deficit, the administration changed its rationale to an inefficient
faculty-to-student ratio after revising the budget shortfall to $8 million. In special meetings across campus, faculty members addressed their concerns over transparency at the university. In a transcript of one meeting obtained by The Vista, some asked “given the confusion, lack of communication,
and most recent bait-and-switch: How does the president imagine faculty & staff can trust anything she says?” Special meetings with certain colleges and their deans resulted following a budget forum held on March 24, where President Neuhold-Ravikumar cited a different reason for fac-
ulty layoffs, saying the university has a surplus of faculty in relation to the number of students enrolled, and this faculty-to-student ratio needs to be increased from 15-1 to 17-1. “It appears, from what I understand, Continued on Pg. 3
Students protest faculty layoffs during liberal arts event Sam Royka Reporter
Students chanted “say goodbye to your favorite professor” in the Liberal Arts building Wednesday afternoon in response to the 40+ layoffs UCO President Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar announced in a recent budget meeting on March 24. The UCO Liberal Arts Symposium was taking place in the same building during the time of the protest. This was not without risk, as UCO’s student code of conduct says that sanctions may be placed on students that “disrupt” a “planned event.” Seconds before chants began, student organizers threw flyers from the upper balcony on the third floor, fluttering to the bottom level. “I hope this protest helps the administration understand the concerns and fears not only from faculty but from
students as well,” said Hannah Ash, a student at UCO, in a statement. The announced changes include higher academic fees and a reduction in professors resulting in a higher student to professor ratio. “We came to UCO with the promise of small class sizes, qualified professors, and cost effective tuition. Firing 40 tenured professors will not only jeopardize these promises mentioned previously but also the accreditation of UCO. #RIPUCO40,” Ash wrote. There is a Twitter account for the movement at the handle @ripuco40 where updates will be shared, Ash said. Neuhold-Ravikumar said in the budget meeting Thursday as well that “optimization” of full time faculty’s “available capacity” will take place, meaning a higher workload for professors. The 40 positions to be eliminated will include the possibility of firing
tenured and tenured-track professors. In addition, Neuhold-Ravikumar said, at present 18 vacant positions have been identified, and vacant positions will be eliminated before filled ones. “I just really want to be involved with a lot of professors that I really care about, and the way that they’re being treated is not really fair. And I really want to make sure that they kind of get the voice and the support that they deserve,” said Tix Tennant-Hill, a funeral science major at UCO. “It really shows the community that a lot of the professors have built with the students here, that so many of the students are willing to come out and do this type of thing in protection of them,” Tennant-Hill said. The protest lasted about five min- Skyler Donnell (left) watches as Alexis McKernan throws flyers off the third floor of the utes before ending. Liberal Arts building. (The Vista/ Madalyn Nix)