A Year Later, OC Offices Feel Chill of Hiring Freeze
By Renata Silberblatt

Over the past year, the College’s senior staff has frozen more than fifty positions. On Thursday, Vice President for Finance Andy Evans said that 26 of these vacant positions have been eliminated.
The hiring freeze, which began last year, is expected to remain through this year and will continue “indefinitely,” College President Nancy Dye said. The number of positions frozen has decreased from 50 to 30, due mostly to the College’s elimination of some positions.
Although “critically needed” jobs will still be filled, Dye could not define what made a position critically needed. She stated that it is up to each division head to determine if a position must be filled.
“Right now,” she said, “the College is operating without a Director of Admissions, which is clearly an example of a critically needed position.”
“It’s a little bit of a misnomer to call it a total freeze in that we do sometimes unfreeze a position, she added.
Dye also said no single division of the College has been more affected by the budget cuts and hiring freeze than another and that all divisions across the College have all had to make changes.
Vacant positions currently exist in numerous College offices. Career Services, College Relations, Development, Student Academic Services, Student Life, ResLife, Facilities, Custodial Services and the Allen Memorial Art Museum, among others, all have eliminated or frozen positions.
But some, including custodians, disagree. There are numerous vacant positions, including individuals on sick leave, in custodial services.
Although a custodial employee of Noah commented that the hiring freeze has not affected her, she stated that the custodial department has had to make some changes. Because the College has been unable to hire full-time custodians, the College has hired “floaters,” or custodians who are not given benefits. These floaters are given a third shift: they must work from 11p.m.to 7:30 a.m.
Associate Dean of Residential Life and Services Kim LaFond said that his department has saved money by starting meals two days after students arrived on campus. He has also removed the faculty associate program, which allowed 130 to 150 faculty members to bring their families twice a week to College cafeterias and eat with students (now only foreign language professors may do this) and cut down on Fall Break dining options.
Student Life, under Dean Peter Goldsmith, has said that the effects on student services are minimal.
“There are several positions in Student Life that remain vacant because of the hiring freeze,” Dean of students Peter Goldsmith stated. “For example, there are fewer live-in professionals in Residential Life.” He also noted that there is a combined Residential Life and Student Academic Services secretarial position open. The two departments are looking to fill the job “internally.”
Dean Goldsmith described filling a position internally as “rearranging deck chairs,” promoting someone from one job to another. Although filling a position internally may create a vacancy elsewhere, the individual’s old position may still need to be filled.
However, Dean Goldsmith noted that there is a difference between frozen positions and vacant positions. While there is an open position on the Safety and Security staff because of a supervisor’s resignation, the job is not frozen, and the College is “working to fill” this position.
Both Dean Goldsmith and Associate Dean LaFond stressed that although the hiring freeze and financial cuts force their divisions to trim their budgets, each division is focused on continuing to meet students’ needs.