Furloughs for 875 West Virginia University employees in Morgantown and at branch campuses in Keyser and Beckley begin today, according to numbers provided by WVU to The Dominion Post.
The furloughs, announced earlier this month by WVU, are an effort by the university to ease the impact of a $30 million deficit brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the closure of WVU campuses in mid-March.
WVU has said it is planning to have students on campus in August in time for fall semester.
The breakdown of furloughed workers shows 425 — 48.6% — of the employees are in business and auxiliary services; 168, or 19.2%, work in academic units; 92, or 10.5%, are in non-academic administration; 65, or 7.4%, are in athletics; 50, or 5.7%, are in Beckley, while 28, or 3.2%, are in Keyser. Faculty were not included in the furloughs.
“It’s a mix of people, all across the board,” said Rob Alsop, WVU’s vice president for Strategic Initiatives.
The university will save $4 million from the furloughs, a move made in response to loss of revenue from the campus closure. WVU reimbursed students $13.6 million in residence hall and dining fees.
WVU said 39 of the furloughed employees will return to work June 28, while the remainder will come back on July 26 to prepare for fall semester.
“We have to get rooms ready for fall,” Alsop said. “Everything is based on need.”
The university furloughed the workers at this time to allow them to take advantage of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which provides an additional $600 a month through July 31.
WVU benefits, such as health care, will continue through the furlough. Conversion rights for retiree health insurance premiums are not affected. But, annual leave, sick leave and compensatory time off balances remain frozen until furloughed employees return to work.
Other cost-cutting moves by WVU include postponing $10 million in improvements to campus buildings. Work on certain project’s such as the new business school, and improvements to Hodges Hall and Milan Puskar Stadium will proceed as planned.
Also, top WVU administrators, including President Gordon Gee, have taken voluntary salary reductions or made financial contributions to the university. There is also a moratorium on overseas travel.
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