Faculty and staff face another freeze

Staffing freezes were announced recently for the 2013-2014 academic year. The freeze means that salaries for current staff members will remain at their current levels. Additionally, no new positions we be created and filled, although some exceptions to this aspect of the freeze can be potentially approved by University leadership.
The freeze applies to all employees, both faculty and non-faculty, of the University.
No worries for students however; the freeze applies only to full time employees, thus excluding student workers.
The freeze is not new for current employees; the same thing occurred during the 2012-2013 academic year. The reason for continuing the freeze remains the same.
The University hopes that by implementing this strategy, they will be able to prevent increases in the budgeted expenditure. This aim to keep the budget in check is to ensure that an education at Eastern is affordable. “The family incomes of many prospective Eastern students continue to be strongly affected by the economy – resulting in those prospects ultimately not enrolling at Eastern,” states Pernell Jones, Eastern’s CFO.
Jones also explains the staffing freezes as a counter measure to the declining enrollment rate at the University, which has caused budgetary difficulties. He adds, “[it] will help preserve the financial welfare of the University.”
There is some hope for changing the requirements of the freeze due to the large optimism next year’s recruiting class provides. Although Jones does not foresee any changes within the next six months, he reassures the work of University leadership to continually monitor enrollment and budget measures. He also adds, “The important thing is that the University will continue to support staffing decisions that are critical and essential to serving our students and ensuring their welfare.”