Editor’s Note: This is a developing story, and the Lumen is working to obtain additional information for future articles.
On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, President Trietley sent an email to all students announcing a “modest reduction in personnel to better align the size of our employee workforce with current enrollment.” What this means for Viterbo is the loss of beloved community members– four staff members and nine professors lost their jobs. According to the president, “Our priority when making these personnel and budget decisions was to preserve the overall student experience and academic quality of our programs.”
Even though students were at the center of these decisions, that is not what they are feeling. Despite this massive blow to all Viterbo, no staff list was sent in the communication. As one might imagine, this causes not only concern but fear as well.
An initial email was sent to Viterbo students in May, expressing that some of the familiar faces they know would not be returning for the upcoming fall semester. When asked if they remembered getting this communication,
Others shared concern for not only their programs, but also groups and organizations on campus. Camille Olson, a junior art education major, said,
Another student, Heidi Kloostra, a senior ethics, culture, and society major, also shared her concern for the important staff members who were let go. a super welcoming person and someone that I was grateful to call a mentor and was an important part of my life…learning [who] was involved in the staff cuts was definitely difficult news because [the staff member]
“I just heard that one of my favorite professors was let go in the most recent layoff…[one that] has always been such a vibrant and incredible leader here and means so much to me,” said another student.
As the community of Viterbo University, it is hard to not sympathize with our fellow students who have lost their mentors. Kloostra had this to say: “This campus preaches community, and many people lean into that, forming bonds and relationships with staff and vice versa. Many of these people were seen by some students as essential parts of the system at Viterbo and losing these people and positions has had a negative impact on them and their interactions with the campus as a whole.”
More surprising is that these announcements of staff and budget cuts occurred while the university was also raising. Cheyenne Sanders, a senior art estated, “I think that it is always smart to cut budgets when in time of need. However, I think it should be done evenly where not one area is targeted. I think that it is crazy that we pay so much, but as a result of our debt, we get fewer resources because of some financial issues.”
Overall, the interviewed students understood that while Viterbo is a community, it is also a university, one that must make hard decisions However, this does not mean that students are satisfied. Olson said, “I feel very out of the loop and just seem to be witnessing the negative effects with no reasoning.” Another student said something similar: “I’m sure there are plenty of reasons that I am not aware of, but I really wish the university was more transparent…it’s frustrating to hear about losing my favorite professors but truly not knowing why.”
