DISPATCHES FROM GROUND ZERO OF THE EDUCATION APOCALYPSE: Oberlin to lay off 108 employees, save $2 million per year.
Oberlin College planning to lay off 108 employees in its dining services and custodial departments in order to obtain vendor-provided contract services is a symptom of the college’s effort to cut costs as it faces deficit spending, the college announced Tuesday.
The effort will save the college an estimated $2 million per year, it announced Tuesday.* * * * * * * *
Oberlin College said on its website that the cuts announced Tuesday are entirely unrelated to the more than $31.5 million judgment it owes Gibson’s Bakery and the Gibson family after losing the court case. Both the college and the Gibsons have appealed elements of the case to the 9th District Court of Appeals in Akron.
“This effort is completely independent of the Gibson judgment and is directly connected to the need to support Oberlin’s mission and improve the college’s operating budget as identified by President Ambar in her first few months on campus,” the college stated in a “frequently asked questions” document attached to Tuesday’s announcement. “The Gibson’s matter is now on appeal and therefore it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
Found via Small Dead Animals, which adds this tweet from Jonathan Kay of Quillette:
