As layoff notices are going out to SIU employees on the Carbondale campus, administrators say they're still quite concerned about what could be coming from both Springfield and Washington in the coming weeks.
SIU President Glenn Poshard says the cuts are hard to make, but points out reductions have been made to the parts of the budget which don't necessarily affect people and now the finances must be cut to the bone: "But you can't go this long, with the kind of fiscal challenges we've faced because of the state's condition, you can't go this long and not eventually get into that 76% of the budget which has to do with personnel."
Poshard says estimates show the layoffs will affect about a half-dozen employees in Carbondale. He says state funding remains historically low, and with slumping enrollment the money just isn't there.
