Concerns were raised to Torrey Lawrence, provost and executive vice president, about media reports of 28 positions being cut from the University of Idaho at the faculty senate meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
Lawrence said that the 28 positions were not specifically identified.
“We had to submit to the state where those cuts might come from, of course. The final decision will be when we do the actual budgets,” said Lawrence.
A 3% budget cut on Idaho’s state agencies was announced by Gov. Brad Little on Aug. 15. Because of the cuts occurring in the middle of the current fiscal year, Lawrence said new budget requests for 2026-27 are due from universities in Idaho, but no actual cuts will be determined until the finalization of the budget in spring 2026.
The senate voted unanimously on a resolution calling for more faculty control over website content, resource support requests, and access to website subdomains. After the launch of the new UI website, the loss and combination of many webpages reduced faculty control over profiles and content.
Blaine Eckles, vice provost for student affairs and dean of students, provided updates on health services. He said that because Rite Aid is out of business, there is currently no provider for flu shots for UI faculty and staff. Flu shots remain available for students at the Vandal Health Clinic. Faculty and staff were encouraged to use local providers and pharmacies for flu and COVID vaccinations.
The senate discussed faculty involvement in politics and public commentary regarding the city election. Eckles said faculty may participate in politics on personal time as long as there is no affiliation with UI such as using a university email.
A proposed catalog change regarding commencement eligibility was presented to the senate to address the rare situation of restraining orders between students or staff. The change alters the wording from “entitled” to “eligible” for graduation attendance. Senators advocated for the safety of students, staff and faculty attending commencement, but the motion was tabled until more specific language can be considered.
Idaho’s four-year colleges were prompted by the State Board of Education to write or suggest revisions to the faculty code of conduct, but no major concerns were raised during the meeting.
Tim Murphy, chair of the Faculty Senate said that he anticipated significant policy reviews in the coming weeks and encouraged senators to review proposals in advance. Lawrence also included reminders about the faculty gathering Nov. 6, hosted by the College of Art and Architecture, in his provost report.
Scarlet Herway can be reached at [email protected].