Budget cuts at CWU have led to reduced staff and increased workloads across campus. For the 2024-2025 school year, there have been budget cuts due to low enrollment rates and retention of students. 

On CWU’s dashboard, data for enrollment and retention both show a clear decline over the past five years. Registered Admissions are down by 1,062 students since 2019. Similarly, Undergraduate Headcount Enrollment was down by 2,791 students since 2019 and the number of Tenured Faculty at CWU has dropped from 278 members to 256 members.

“We are trying to calibrate our employment on a replacement basis,” Joel Klucking, the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration and the chief financial officer at CWU, said. “So once somebody leaves or they retire, what we’re trying to do is look at the work that that person did. Can we do it differently? Can a work group come up with a different way of doing things that does not require replacing that position?” 

Staff members said that combining jobs or leaving seats empty when a staff person leaves or retires puts an extra burden on them without additional compensation. “I do not think it’s efficient to combine roles,” Gretchen Lohse, secretary supervisor for the department of communication, said. “In my opinion, I think that a workload that isn’t properly compensated for makes employees feel under-appreciated, and they are more likely to leave.” 

Volha Isakava, Professor and Chair of World Languages and Cultures, described the struggles of having a secretary with limited hours. The lack of hours forces their secretary to spend most of their time on day to day tasks, effectively leaving no time for long term projects that would promote department growth. There are departments that currently have no secretaries, and in those departments the problems are only exacerbated further.

“In general, it feels like we can just barely keep our heads above water,” Isakava said in an email. “[It feels like we are] one emergency away from drowning. I am very grateful to our administrative professional for her good spirits, her helpful and positive attitude even given those challenges.”

Isakava also described the struggles faced by departments when trying to get positions approved. “Our department wanted to replace a secretary senior position with that of a Program Coordinator,” Isakava said. “A professional who would focus on recruitment and retention, community outreach, alumni relations and other important initiatives we have in our department. Not only did we not get approved for this type of position, it is precisely those things that fall by the wayside as our secretary has to tackle immediate challenges.”

Because of the lack of staff, and decreased campus budgets multiple staff feel that they are being undercompensated for their workload. 

A senior secretary that recently moved departments and asked to remain anonymous out of concern about retribution, said: “The workload is already so massively extensive that we do need more assistance… I can’t afford a home. I can’t afford to buy a house… when I was younger, I knew blue collar workers could afford a house with this type of an income. Why can’t I do that anymore? I am priced out of the market completely… once I have all of [my] bills paid and everything set to where I can put it to feasibly get through a year I maybe have 80 to 40 bucks every paycheck to spend on food.”

This story was edited to correct a quote from Gretchen Lohse that was mistakenly attributed to Volha Isakava. We apologize for the error in editing.