Sacramento State is hiring part-time faculty and staff, even though budget cuts have forced the California State University system to tighten spending habits. CSU Chancellor Charles Reed has requested any hiring be done with caution.

David Wagner, vice president for human resources at Sac State, said only certain positions are being filled right now.

“The department heads have been asked to ascertain what positions need to be filled,” Wagner said. “We generally hire part-time faculty for a probationary period, usually one year.”

Wagner said the positions are vacant due to instructors who have left for other colleges or retired. None of the current hiring is for new positions. The deadline for submitting applications has been set for Nov. 21.

The positions being filled are intended to alleviate the overcrowding of classes and restore some classes that have been cut due to budget concerns.

Wagner said the positions are being considered as temporary for the time being, instead of probationary, as is typically done when hiring.

Temporary employees are only contracted through June, and do not affect the contract already in place for full-time instructors.

“Temporary positions allow us to terminate the (employee’s) contract at any time,” Wagner said. “Employees hired as probationary are considered permanent, and we would have to go through lay-offs in accordance with the faculty collective bargaining agreement, which could lead to budget problems.”

Wagner said advertising for probationary positions usually results in a broader pool of qualified applicants. Applicants for temporary positions may not be as qualified as probationary employees, but hiring temporary instructors keeps Sac State from potentially being forced to conduct layoffs.

Wagner said the hiring situation is not set in stone.

“It could change in a week,” Wagner said. “We could receive an order from the chancellor to stop all hiring. These are tough financial times.”

Clara Potes-Fellow, spokesperson for the CSU Chancellor’s Office, said the CSU system could not function without part-time faculty.

“All CSU campuses, including Sac State, employ part-time faculty in order to fully staff their courses and meet students’ instructional needs,” Potes-Fellow said. “These part-time faculty are temporary employees.”

In October, Reed said the CSU system would give back $31.3 million to the state of California to help reduce the state budget deficit.

Reed said the $31.3 million reduction could be absorbed by the CSU system without disrupting instruction or operation of the campus.

“Campuses will be encouraged to take measures such as curtailing travel, deferring purchases and delaying filling vacant positions,” Reed said. “The state’s worsening budget situation also brings the possibility of additional mid-year budget reductions.”

Derek Fleming can be reached at [email protected]