UU staff deeply concerned about consequences of budget cuts

‘It's all so depressing and I fear for my future, the welfare of the people in our department, and the quality of our work.’

This quote, from an assistant professor at the Faculty of Humanities, can be found in the report "Under Pressure: The Impact of (Upcoming) Budget Cuts at Utrecht University, published by UU's teaching network, T@UU, and the Utrecht Young Academy, a network of young scientists working at UU. They conducted an online survey to gain insight into the consequences of the budget cuts imposed by the Dutch government in Utrecht and to ‘give UU staff a voice in uncertain times’.

Damaging
A total of 212 UU employees participated in the survey. They reacted to a series of austerity measures that are either being planned or have already been implemented at the university. These include personnel matters, such as hiring freezes, the decision not to renew temporary contracts or not to hire any temporary staff. The respondents also commented on the austerity measures affecting educational matters, such as the discontinuation of study programmes, the introduction of different forms of assessment, and the establishment of a minimum student-to-course ratio. Lastly, the respondents expressed their opinions on measures such as shorter opening hours for buildings and reducing the number of support staff.

Those surveyed describe these measures as highly damaging to their work and to the university. In their view, the well-being of staff and the quality of education and research are currently threatened. The respondents came from all sections of the university, including support staff, but most of them (39 per cent) were university lecturers. A relatively large number of respondents work at the Faculty of Humanities, the one that is being forced to take the most far-reaching measures to reduce spending. Although the results are not representative of the entire university, the report's authors argue that the survey paints a good picture of staff members' experiences and feelings regarding the budget cuts.

Lower quality
The employees who answered the online questionnaire are particularly concerned about the expected increase in the number of courses they will have to teach. They expect this to happen because vacancies are not being filled, among other reasons.

In addition, the Faculty of Humanities is eliminating 'undesignated time'. Permanent staff used to be allowed to use 10 per cent of their hours as they saw fit, and that flexibility is now being eliminated so that lecturers can dedicate more time to teaching. However, that's not all: lecturers are likely to have more students per course, as group sizes will need to increase. Since temporary colleagues are not being replaced, the respondents fear that the many teaching tasks at the Faculty of Humanities will have to be carried out by fewer and fewer people.

Around three-quarters of those surveyed expect the quality of education at UU to decline. Around 40 per cent of respondents even fear a sharp decline. These expectations stem from the fact that research activities may be threatened by the increased time lecturers will spend teaching and the reduction in funds available for research. 

Fewer opportunities
The situation is also increasing work pressure. No less than 80 per cent of respondents report that their work pressure has increased, with 40 per cent stating that work pressure has significantly increased for them. Additionally, the austerity measures are increasing stress among staff. Almost 50 per cent of respondents report increased stress levels, and around 60 per cent have seen a decline in their job satisfaction over the past year.

For 43 per cent of those surveyed, the budget cuts have led to a decline in job security over the past year. Young scientists with temporary contracts are particularly affected by this. The report also indicates that 25 per cent of respondents are seriously considering leaving the university.

More involved
The authors of the questionnaire conclude that the austerity measures are causing employees to feel concerned, frustrated and uncertain. These feelings are also reflected in the quotes included at the end of the report. ‘I am extremely stressed out. I feel unimportant and superfluous. Why should I work so hard for a university that makes me feel that way?’ says one respondent.

The two organisations believe that the university should take this into account by implementing tangible measures to reduce work pressure and provide more support for career planning and mental health issues. Administrators are also called upon to make more effort to involve employees in decisions related to the austerity measures. Many employees indicated in the survey that they find the transparency and communication about these matters to be lacking.

The report has now been presented to education directors and faculty deans.