On March 20, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order that mandated non-essential personnel work remotely. Following this order, on Saturday, April 18, 274 Union employees—30 percent of the College’s workforce—will be sent home on furlough, President David Harris announced in an email sent out to campus on April 7. 

That same day a salary freeze took into effect: there will be no increased wages for the 2020-2021 academic year. Additionally, no new personnel will be hired until the end of 2020. “Exceptions will be rare and must be recommended by a vice president and approved by me,” Harris said in the email. Furloughed employees will not work and will not be paid, but were not fired from their positions, which Harris emphasized in the email.

He expects that these employees will come back to work when in-person classes resume, but he is not certain. “I didn’t know we were going to be here two months ago, I can’t guarantee where we’ll be four months from now,” Harris told Concordiensis in an interview.

The College is still providing health insurance to employees and their families. The human resource department will help the furloughed workers apply for unemployment benefits and the weekly $600 supplement provided by the CARES Act, the email stated. An unnamed alumni who works for a law firm will assist in these applications, Harris said in the interview.

Tuition will not decrease. “You don’t have a degree with an asterisk like you’re 11/12ths of a Union student, because you had that one term online,” Harris said.

The College anticipates a net of $7 million dollars charge in room and board during the term. Harris explained that even though room and board will not be charged, there are fixed costs including maintenance and utilities. 

“Over the past 225 years, Union College has been impacted by wars, recessions, the Great Depression, a flu pandemic, and numerous other exceptional threats to the status quo,” Harris said. “It will not be easy, but I have no doubt that before long, our entire Union College community – students, faculty and staff – will once again be together on our spectacular campus, engaging with one another and achieving beyond expectations.”