By Alice Clark, with Kathy Gros, Paula Saurage-Ruiz, Dianna Whitfield, Angelique Dyer, and Brian Lousteau
Loyola University New Orleans has had its share of struggles. Many people outside of Louisiana think first of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent levee breaches, but the more recent threat was a 2013 enrollment shortfall that continues to affect our budget. Since then, we have endured multiple rounds of buyouts, layoffs, hiring freezes, and cuts to operating budgets. I sat down with several members of the staff from across campus to get their perspective on where we’ve been and where we are now. The discussion was occasionally painful, but also full of laughter. I planned on an hour, but we took nearly two and, even then, it was clear people didn’t want to leave, even as they had to.
This group included some who arrived at the university within the last five years and some who’d been here 30 years or more. Most said they did not initially plan to stay at Loyola for the long haul, but found themselves unable to leave. The tuition benefit for staff and dependents was a strong reason to stay, but those who had used it made clear that they had no plans to leave when they could no longer use it. All spoke of Loyola in terms of family, and they told stories of achieving dreams they hadn’t known they had.
Tania Tetlow, president of Loyola University New Orleans, poses with Ricardo Torregano, a long-time staff member, at his farewell celebration (above). After forty-years of service, “Mr. Rickey,” as he as known to the Loyola University New Orleans community, is transferring to a job in Alabama to be closer to his family. Photo courtesy of Loyola University New Orleans.
There are limits, however: more recent hires in particular expressed concern about opportunities for advancement, as potential next steps are eliminated to reduce staff numbers. Several in the group built good careers over time, and those who came more recently want to do likewise, but uncertainty about the future is a factor. In the meantime, good people are leaving, and some even in this group are asking themselves why they stay.
The continual strain of losses through layoff and retirement is palpable. Everyone in this group spoke of having to pick up extra work, and of trying to figure out who handles a given task after the person who used to do it was laid off. Many things are harder—“everything takes twice as long”—but everyone emphasized that people pull together and get the job done. In the process, at least one person observed that cutbacks have allowed, or even forced, some creative thinking as people have questioned the way we’ve always done things and tried something new.
The recent arrival of the new president, Tania Tetlow, was a boost to morale for all, and there was general agreement that she’s moving in the right direction. But recovery takes time. In the meantime, everyone’s been years without a raise (and longer without a meaningful raise), and the retirement contribution match (once 8%, more recently cut to 7%) has been eliminated. After our conversation, a message from the president said a 3% match would resume in January 2020, with no indication of when or if the original match would be returned.
Thinking of the layoffs themselves, a good deal of frustration was expressed—not so much that they happened, but how they did, which was characterized several times as fundamentally at odds with who we are as a Jesuit institution. Nearly everyone told painful stories of friends who had been escorted off campus immediately after being laid off. Also difficult for those who were left was that no one knew who had been laid off—this was not only a source of sadness, but an obstacle to the job, as more than one person had left a voice mail message to someone who was no longer there to answer it.
We sought concrete suggestions for any institution needing to take such a difficult step and agreed to these:
Above all be transparent. From making the University’s financial situation clear well in advance of trouble to communicating the vision for the future once the bad times are done, this goes well beyond the logistics of the layoffs themselves.
Plan and communicate. While legal requirements prevent publishing the names of individuals laid off, better planning and communication would allow the work of the University to continue more smoothly. And those e-mail and voice mail accounts need to be closed—or assigned to someone to prevent lost requests.
Treat everyone with respect. This group acknowledged that those who implemented the layoffs here often did their best, but it didn’t always appear that way. The image of the campus police officer escorting staff members out of the office should be avoided at all costs, because it goes against the values we believe in. Higher education is becoming ever more corporate, but we should be different.
A final concern had to do with the well-being of current staff. Everyone is under pressure, and the question is when we all will hit our limit. More than one person spoke of specific situations where a supervisor or co-worker checked on others—as someone put it, that brings the family back.
Alice Clark is professor of Music History at Loyola University New Orleans and a member of the National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education. Kathy Gros is director of Registration Services in the Office of Student Records and chair of the Staff Senate. Paula Saurage-Ruiz is director of Client Services in the Office of Information Technology and vice chair of the Staff Senate. Dianna Whitfield is assistant to the Department of Counseling and secretary of the Staff Senate. Angelique Dyer is digital marketing manager in the Department of Marketing and Communications and an at-large member of the Staff Senate Executive Committee. Brian Lousteau is head cashier in the Bursar’s Office and an at-large member of the Staff Senate Executive Committee.
The featured cover photo (above) is courtesy of Loyola University New Orleans.