Faculty, staff, and students from Western Illinois University rallied in downtown Macomb along with community members on Monday.
They’re urging Western’s Board of Trustees to vote against laying off more workers, which organizers said will hurt students, the community, and the entire region.
“We are WIU!” they chanted under the direction of John Miller, President of the University Professionals of Illinois.
Miller said Western’s board has approved five straight years of deficit spending, and is now trying to balance the budget in less than one year.
Miller said that’s the wrong approach.
“It does not give our new administration opportunities to rebuild and to grow our institution. Rather than tearing down Western Illinois University, we need to build it up,” he said to cheers from the crowd.
“The layoffs that you are about ready to make will not solve your cash flow issue. They have absolutely nothing to do with your cash flow. That is why it is short-sighted.”
He said Western has gone through three other rounds of layoffs in recent years, and none of those worked.
“Do not repeat the mistakes of previous administrations. Do not repeat the mistakes of previous boards. It is time to work together,” Miller said.
He also said the WIU Foundation has money available that could help prevent layoffs and give the new administration time to work with faculty, staff, and others to develop a plan that moves WIU forward without drastic cuts.
“As soon as you start cutting the faculty and staff, you start cutting the core of our institution,” he said.
Miller also said WIU needs to work with the state to build WIU’s funding. He said WIU is a two-campus system, and should be funded as a system, just as the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University systems are funded.
Merrill Cole, WIU Chapter President of UPI, encouraged those at the rally to keep fighting against the cuts. He said history is not made by those who sit on the sidelines.
“Now is the time for action,” Cole said. “We’re all mad, and we’re all ready to save WIU.”
He encouraged people to attend the WIU board’s special meeting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, August 6 and to speak out against layoffs.
Sharon Hunter is one of the faculty members who received a layoff notice. She’s an associate instructor in Educational Leadership, and has also served as an academic advisor, admissions counselor, and as an advisor for student organizations during her 14 years at WIU.
“Our hearts are in what we do. We are educators. We are academicians. We are researchers,” she said.
Hunter said she loves the purple and gold – in addition to working at Western, she earned a Master’s degree from WIU and is currently working on her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership at the university.
Local business owners are concerned too. Brandon Thompson runs Sullivan Taylor Coffee House and Spellbound Stories, which sells comics, games, and toys. He interacts with people from throughout the community and hears about the impact of potential layoffs.
“I am seeing the cultural effect in this area. And I don’t like it for my security, for the security of Macomb, for the security of everyone here,” he said.
Thompson grew up in the area, and said he never would have opened businesses in Macomb if there was no university to support them.
Thompson said past staff cuts at WIU have not worked. He said the administration should consider other options.
“Why not ask for help? Why not stave off the cuts? It’s about time that something gets fixed,” he said.
“Take care of WIU. Take care of Macomb.”
Western’s administration laid off 35 non-tenure track employees a month ago as the university struggles with its finances. And the union says it’s been told more layoffs are coming that would include tenure-track faculty.
Meanwhile, WIU Interim President Kristi Mindrup emailed a reminder on Monday that a spending freeze and hiring suspension remain in place.
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