Pomona College moves to furlough more than 260 employees through 2020

Pomona College plans to furlough more than 260 non-faculty staff beginning Oct. 1 to address a double-digit deficit, the administration has announced.

The move has sparked concern from a significant number of faculty members who say the college could do more to keep the workers employed. The furloughs are set to extend through the remainder of 2020. The college has not guaranteed furloughs will not extend into the new year.

The furloughs impact 154 full-time and 110 part-time workers. According to the college, the furloughs affect “employees who work in functions that are completely shut down” and others who have seen their workload cut.

“As the crisis began to have a deepening impact on college finances, we worked to hold off measures such as furloughs and to continue paying all employees,” administrators wrote in an email to the campus community on Sept. 1. “Now the duration and magnitude of this crisis force a step we have sought to avoid.”

History professor Victor Silverman said the move would target the college’s “most vulnerable employees.” Among those who will be furloughed are more than 100 dining hall workers, he added, calling them the “heart of the university.”

“They are some of the (college’s) lowest wage workers but they are a big part of the everyday makeup of this campus,” Silverman said. “To do this during a pandemic just wouldn’t be right.”

Silverman is one of 94 faculty members, out of 186, who signed a letter to President G. Gabrielle Starr and the college’s Board of Trustees asking them to reconsider the furloughs. The faculty group suggests covering salaries with funds from the college’s endowment, which the institution says currently stands at $2.3 billion.

“It just seems wrong to us that Pomona College has the resources of this scale and could shield workers but not do it,” Silverman said. “We realize that there is a financial problem right now and revenues are down but there are other options.”

According to the university, 53% of the college’s budget this fiscal year is funded by withdrawals from the endowment. That money has primarily funded student financial aid, employee pay and helped with the school’s transition to online instruction, according to the college.

“It is an ongoing source that contributes around $100 million to our budget every year, and we need to keep it a sustainable resource to maintain our strong and ongoing commitments to students,” Pomona College spokesperson Mark Kendall wrote in a Sept. 17 email. “Pomona College serves as an engine of opportunity for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds and, this year, the College will allocate nearly $45 million to financial aid.”

The college is facing a financial crunch like many other educational institutions due to the economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Declining enrollment from students who are taking leaves of absence have contributed to the $37 million deficit, the college said.

Silverman said faculty are upset not only about the proposed furloughs, but also the lack of input that was allowed. While he and others were informed about the possibility of furloughs in the spring, he said, college administrators did not consult faculty members about it.

“We want to be partners with the university and find viable solutions as a team,” Silverman said.

Carol Ambriz, a senior at Pomona College, said the college has a “moral issue” on its hands. She is one of many students who have voiced their displeasure with the decision to furlough employees and are in full support of the affected workers.

“There are many students who have personal relationships with some of staff,” Ambriz said. “With a pandemic right now, it’s just about doing what’s morally right. This can be a little frustrating but we know a lot more can be done.”