A significant drop in enrollment at Evergreen State College has led to a massive budget cut and a layoff notice that went out to faculty in a memo on Monday.
Evergreen State College is facing a $2.1 million budget shortfall following their semester of chaos that concluded only a few months ago. A report released internally on Monday revealed that fall enrollment at Evergreen is down five percent, from 3,922 students to 3,713. Most significantly, Evergreen lost a significant portion of nonresident students, who pay a higher tuition rate than in-state students.
This information was provided to the campus community in an August 28 memo entitled “Enrollment and Budget Update.” According to the memo, the college must find a way to resolve the $2.1 million shortfall. The announcement revealed that 17 facilities staff members received temporary layoff notices in July due to the budget shortfall.
“This creates the need for significant budget cuts in the immediate future,” the memo reads. “In a college where 89 percent of the operating budget is in salaries and benefits, it is impossible to reduce the budget by substantial amounts without giving up positions. In anticipation of this, we will soon be announcing a hiring freeze.”
“Some notices were rescinded as we try to use scarce local dollars to keep people employed,” the memo adds. “However, if the capital budget crisis at the state level continues indefinitely, layoffs will become impossible to avoid.”
Chaos ravaged the Evergreen State College campus throughout the end of their spring semester. After Biology Professor Bret Weinstein gently objected to an activism event that asked all white community members to leave campus for the day, student protesters took over the campus, demanding Weinstein’s termination.