Although the universities in the state’s flagship system have not yet been impacted as severely as other institutions by the ongoing state budget impasse, some significant issues are clearly surfacing.

The following is from an article by Charles Thomas and Ben Bradley on the WLS-TV website:

“On the University of Illinois-Chicago campus, the state promised 8,000 students tuition assistance but hasn’t paid a dime. The university is stepping in for now but there’s not guarantee how long they can keep it up.”

Thomas and Bradley’s complete article, “With No Budget, Rauner Delivers State of the State,” is available at: http://abc7chicago.com/politics/with-no-budget-rauner-delivers-state-of-the-state/1175566/.

And this is from an article on the website of channel 5NBC Chicago:

“The University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign is planning layoffs as a result of the state financial crisis, according to an email from a school administrator, marking the first time the university system’s flagship campus has turned to job cuts amid the budget stalemate.

“The hiring of civil-service workers, such as child care and clerical employees, was frozen on Monday, and departments were told to decide how many such employees to cut due to a lack of funding by the state, Associate Provost for Human Resources Elyne Cole said in an email sent to employees Monday. . . .

“’Unfortunately, for some administrative and academic units, we know that such planning will include the elimination of some positions, including those held by Civil Service employees that have an option to exercise seniority or employment rights, thereby bumping other Civil Service employees from their positions,’ she wrote, setting a May 16 date for departments to submit lists of employees who would lose jobs. Those job cuts would take effect Aug. 27.

“Ann Zettervall is president of the union that represents 1,300 of the school’s civil service workers, a group of primarily clerical, child-development and Extension Service employees, who work with farmers, children and others around the state. She said the layoffs would be the first to come as a result of budget crisis. . . .

“Zettervall said she has asked the university for more details including potential numbers of employees affected, but said she has not received answers.

“’We are preparing for a large number of layoffs and we’re talking to all of the people covered by our collective bargaining agreement,’ she said Wednesday. ‘I sent an email out to them last night.’

“’A lot of our members, they don’t make a lot of money,’ she added. ‘Some make as little as $10.18 an hour.’

“Jobs cuts are also possible among academic professionals—a group that includes many salaried employees who serve as directors or coordinators of various campus programs, but not faculty, campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler said.”

The complete article is available at: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/University-of-Illinois-in-Urbana-Champaign-Planning-Layoffs-Amid-Budget-Crisis-376456531.html#ixzz46ThhPUW1