The government shutdown could have substantial impacts on areas of the university, including veterans benefits and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Provost Paul DeLuca told the Academic Staff Assembly Monday.
“We haven’t had catastrophic or even significant impacts so far but we will,” DeLuca said. “If something doesn’t give very, very soon, we will.”
According to DeLuca, impacts would include the end of Veteran’s benefits from the G.I. Bill. DeLuca said these costs, along with the impacts on ROTC funding, would cause immediate losses of around $500,000 per month.
According to DeLuca, any process that involves a federal agency would rapidly come to a close and be out of the university’s control, which could affect researchers applying for funding or international students who need appropriate documentation.
DeLuca said in the case there are significant impacts, the university will try to accommodate any problems the best they can, but there may not be many options.
Academic Staff also approved a motion that aims to improve the Critical Compensation Fund, which Chancellor Rebecca Blank recently announced will be implemented on campus again.
The CCF provides funds to increase the compensation of critical faculty and staff to make up for the University of Wisconsin-Madison falling at the bottom of faculty compensation compared to its peers at other institutions, according to an Academic Staff Assembly workgroup report.
According to DeLuca, the motion passed by Academic Staff contains recommendations on structural changes and potential modifications to the CCF, after an evaluation workgroup found the 2012 CCF’s total awards to academic staff were much lower than the originally set target.
DeLuca said the Assembly’s recommendations will be taken to administration officials.
