"Everything's on the table."
That's what Dionn Tron, associate vice president for communication, said about Miami University's current financial situation.
In an e-mail Oct. 20, President David Hodge addressed the immediate implementation of a hiring freeze that will last through June 30, 2009. According to Hodge, positions will only be filled after specific approval from the vice president for finance and business services.
Tron said this applies to all staff positions at Miami.
University Provost Jeffrey Herbst specifically addressed the issue at the university senate meeting on Monday, held on Miami's Middletown campus.
"There are classified and unclassified staff positions that won't be filled," Herbst said. "Only those critical to the university's health will be filled."
President Hodge said in the e-mail the $5 million cut previously announced will still be in effect for the current fiscal year (July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009).
Tron said these cuts would be made across individual departments.
"It's up to the individual departments how they want to make the cuts," Tron said. "It's up to them how they're going to do so. Each group knows what their target numbers are."
These budget cuts will also have a large impact on university projects, some of which may need to be evaluated and postponed, according to the e-mail.
"There will be a delay in the remodeling of Kreger (Hall) and the Bicentennial Student Center construction," Herbst said.
In the e-mail, Hodge said these delays would be in effect until the current economic situation improves.
"We really can't predict the future," Tron said. "This is what we're doing for now."
Herbst said at the Monday senate meeting that currently tuition makes up 70 percent of revenue at Miami's Oxford campus. This figure, Tron said, is one that changes every year depending on enrollment numbers, but at the moment the university doesn't expect much change.
"That's something that you can never totally predict every year," Tron said.
Tron said that the economic situation may also have a slight impact on who applies to and enrolls at Miami.
"There may be some students out-of-state that decide to stay in their own state, and many Ohio students may choose to stay in Ohio," Tron said.
Aside from making more money, the university has created a Web site for those staff and faculty handling a budget for sharing ideas on how to save current costs.
Tron added that handling the situation is a daily task for the university.
"There are questions we have, too," Tron said. "We can't predict the future. We wish we had a crystal ball and could tell people what would happen. It would be much easier."
