As the N.C. Legislature continues to finalize a fiscal budget for the 2009-10 school year, University officials are preparing for up to a 7-percent budget cut.

Charlie Leffler, vice chancellor for finance and business, said a seven percent budget cut would mean the loss of up to 150 jobs and a decrease in the number of classes offered to students across campus.

“[Lay offs] are a last resort,” Leffler said. “We are continuing to work to minimize job cuts.” 

Leffler said one option for the University is to move employee’s into positions that are unfilled to prevent having to cut those people.

“Our goal is to minimize the impact by looking at vacant positions,” he said. 

Although Leffler said the University does not want to make cuts, he also said hundreds of people leave the University on a year-to-year basis because of other jobs.

Leffler said losing up to 150 jobs or more is typical.

“Hundreds of people leave because of other opportunities,” he said. “There are a lot of comings and goings of people and of open positions.”

Leffler also said many employees work on contracts, and when contracts expire, the University re-evaluates and decides how to reorganize jobs in a more efficient manner.

“We reorganize, constantly create new jobs, and keep a dynamic workplace,” he said.

Students, like Matthew Harris, a sophomore in arts applications, have expressed concern for campus academics and the impact budget cuts may have on programs.

“I have noticed they are cutting back on the number of classes offered in each course,” Harris said. “I think it will impact a lot of people.”

Larry Nielsen, the University provost, said officials are attempting to make the impact of budget cuts on students as small as possible and limit the impact.

Nielsen said that while the University as a whole is preparing for budget cuts that individual colleges would not be cut the full 5 percent.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, will have only about a 1-percent budget cut, Nielsen said. 

Nielsen also said a 1-percent cut in class seats in sections will not drop the academic standard below what it should be.

“The quality of our faculty will stay the same,” he said. “The faculty has been extremely responsible in taking on greater loads to ensure student affairs are not greatly impacted. The faculty are the student’s best friends.”

Harris said he is also concerned budget cuts will impact numerous student activities.

“Because I am involved in Wolf-TV, and we are trying to become a part of Student Media, I am extremely concerned about [budget] cuts in that area,” he said.

Nielsen said it is not feasible to expect programs to not take a hit but also said no student programs will be hurt badly.

“Everything will be cut back some, but student programs will continue as they have been,” he said. 

Because Housing, Carmichael Gymnasium and other student activities are paid for using tuition and fees, they will not be impacted, Nielsen said.

Nielsen also said campus life and student activities are still a top priority when considering all aspects of the situation.

“We are still in the process of figuring everything out,” he said. “Everything is a plan, not a reality.”

Leffler said no official budget cut numbers, lay-off counts, or anything else is final until the Legislature finalizes the budget, a process that could take until the beginning of the fall semester.

“As the legislature continues to evaluate the situation, things will update and change,” he said.