OSHKOSH, Wis. — With a looming $18 million deficit, officials at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh are reducing 250 administrative staff and employees.
It’s a process sophomore Ashlee Raddant has been monitoring the past few months. She transferred to the university to pursue a degree in geology.
“I’m here to be educated, I’m here to learn,” she said. “When you remove staff, that is not only decreasing the quality of eduction, but also the accessibility of classes.”
Raddant is a graduate of Shawano High School. She said she’s seen schools make these kinds of cuts before.
“It feels like a repeat of my high school experience. Nothing good came from it,” Raddant said. “To me, personally, it doesn’t feel like they’re prioritizing staff.”
The university announced Monday it’s reducing it’s staff by about 250 people through a combination of layoffs, early retirement, and leaving positions vacant.
The moves are expected to total almost $15 million. The university said no faculty are being laid off. Furloughs are part of the plan.
Senior Austin Marks expects the loss of that many people will be felt by students.
“For me, I don’t think it’s going to change too much because I’m basically through everything myself,” he said. “But for people behind me, it’s going to be a different experience.”
Marks is pursuing a teaching career. He said he’s concerned about the health of UW Oshkosh and other universities in the system.
“If the education system keeps going down its course of being defunded and being left to kind of just die — for lack of better terms — not only us as students are going to suffer, but I think the state as a whole, and the nation as whole, is going to suffer for it,” he said.
Raddant wants to stay at Oshkosh and pursue her degree. She said staffing changes could mean she’ll have to make adjustments as she moves forward with her studies.
“My professors are doing everything they can. They have my full support. I will do anything to support them like they’ve supported me,” Raddant said. “I just need to know that we’re getting support from the top the same as we’re getting support from down here.”