Potential Cuts Spur Words of Support for SIU

The head of the SIU-C faculty union says the administration is doing a good job of communicating the financial emergency with his members.
Faculty Association President David Johnson says one thing everyone on the Carbondale campus can do to get through this unprecedented time is to work together when possible.
 
"And avoid adding insult to injury by getting too disagreeable with each other. We've got enough people to blame in Springfield without having to blame anyone on this campus for this crisis."
 
The increasingly dim outlook has the City of Carbondale taking notice. Spokesperson Amy Fox says the city and SIU need each other.
 
"If we don't get this budget squared away, we're going to continue to lose students at the university; we're going to continue to lose potential professors and administrators because those jobs just aren't available. It's going to have a major impact on our local community in a variety of ways."
 
Fox says the loss of students is a major blow to the City of Carbondale. She says outside of tuition, the average student spends about $10,000 in town every year.