More than 60 Miami University employees learned their jobs were being eliminated a month ago, but now faculty members are lending a helping hand to former co-workers through donations to the Miami University Emergency Fund.
University senate voted last week to establish and support the fund after budget cuts sliced off more than 200 employee positions, most of which were already vacant.
The fund, which is being administered by the Family Resource Center of Oxford, will provide aid to newly laid-off Miami employees with specific help in financial emergencies, according to Kate Rousmaniere, chair of the university senate executive committee, who also proposed the establishment of the fund.
Rousmaniere said Terri Barr, associate professor of marketing, approached multiple agencies in Oxford and Butler County after the fund was proposed in February.
"At the end of those conversations, it appeared that the Family Resource Center (FRC) of Oxford was the best equipped organization to handle the request," Rousmaniere said in a press release.
Diane Ruther-Vierling, executive director at the FRC, said the center specializes in providing assistance to those who are unemployed.
"We provide emergency assistance to people who need help," she said. "That's kind of what we do anyway. We generally work with low-income families, but we've been helping more and more middle-income families due to the economic environment."
Rousmaniere said the FRC has waived its usual residency requirements and income guidelines for laid-off Miami employees applying to the fund, requiring them to show proof of layoff from Miami's department of human resources. Each employee has received a letter of reference from human resources for this purpose.
"They have to come in and fill out our application, and they have to provide the letter from Miami stating that they've been laid off," Ruther-Vierling said. "We'll meet with each person individually to kind of find out what their needs are."
After applying for aid, every former employee becomes a client of the FRC, entitling them to all of the center's resources, including job-training funds, resume development, interviewing skills and budgeting classes alongside the cash assistance. The center may also refer clients to other agencies within the county for further assistance.
Ruther-Vierling said the emergency fund has received $400 in donations since being announced to the public Wednesday.
"The exact amount of support given to each applicant will be dependent upon several factors, including the amount of money in the fund," Rousmaniere said.
Ruther-Vierling said the ways in which the FRC will provide assistance is dependent on the amount of donations.
"We're not sure how we'll be able to help each family," Ruther-Vierling said. "We're kind of waiting to see what kind of donations we get before we finalize that part of the program."
To donate to the fund, Ruther-Vierling said contributors may send a check to the FRC with "Miami University Emergency Fund" written on the memo line or bring cash to the FRC.
