Since California State University employees are now exempt from furloughs, the CSU campuses have been using other methods to save money and cut costs.

The CSU system is now cutting back on operating and travel expenses, transferring employees to non-state funding when possible and leaving unfilled employee positions vacant.

With Sacramento State’s current budget deficit of $26 million, the campus is not exempted from using these measures.

Sac State has eliminated 38 vacant staff and seven vacant management positions, transferred 17 positions to non-state funded sources and left 20 staff and eight management positions vacant.

The university spends about 80 percent of its annual budget on employees’ wages and benefits.

Sac State spokeswoman Kimberly Nava said these measures do not save a set amount of the school’s funding, but they make a significant difference in planning for the budget.

When the campus had the choice of reducing the budget by either 12 or 18 percent, these precautionary measures helped in making the decision that cutting the budget by 18 percent was not necessary.

“I can’t tell you how much money our campus directly saved from these measures,” Nava said, “but because of these measures, we were able to lower our overall spending on the budget. It’s all about working within the projected budget.”

Mario Ruiz, interim associate vice president of Facilities Services, agreed, saying the main concern is maintaining efficiency given the limited resources.

“You can ask how much money we’re saving by cutting costs, but I couldn’t tell you, because it’s just not that simple,” he said. “Let’s say, hypothetically, that you lay off two of your five workers. Sure, you’ll save money by putting the workload on only three employees, but the real question is: Is saving the money worth the slower service and efficiency?”

Ruiz said one way to save money and still maintain efficiency is by following energy efficiency standards.

He cited the American River Courtyard and The Well, which, he said, both use energy-efficient lighting, heating and air-conditioning systems.

“Installing these systems initially costs more money,” Ruiz said, “but it will save so much more in the long run.

Sac State has also announced layoffs of eight full-time employees shortly after last spring. The campus decided that of its roughly 2,688 positions, these eight positions were the least needed.

The university gave the employees, who are represented by the CSU Employees Union, layoff notices at least 60 days before their last day of work.

“Deep cuts in state support of higher education have left us with no further options, and the CSU chancellor’s office has concurred that the limited number of layoffs is unavoidable as part of our overall need to reduce salary expenses,” Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez said in a statement issued after the layoffs were announced.

Nava said because of uncertainties about the state budget, the university does not know if more layoffs will occur this semester.

It is still unknown whether CSU will receive the proposed $365 million in state funding.

Lois Boulgarides, interim president of the Capitol chapter of the California Faculty Association, said lowering the university’s funding for employees not only puts a straining workload on the faculty, but also results in losing a significant amount of classes for students.

“Ultimately, it affects the entire educational experience,” Boulgarides said. “The California Faculty Association is very concerned on how badly these cuts affect students and faculty. It is unfortunate that we’ve lost so much non-academic money because of these new cuts, but education should be the most important priority for the campus.”

Boulgarides said no cost-cutting measure should ever hinder an instructor’s ability to teach or a student’s ability to learn.

She, however, agreed with Chancellor Charles Reed’s decision to exempt CSU employees from furloughs, which ended for the CSU on June 30, saving Sac State a total of $16 million.

“We didn’t see the evidence that the furloughs’ benefits outweighed their costs,” Boulgarides said. “We were assured that jobs would be saved from them. However, we lost about 200 temporary and part-time employees.”

Micah Stevenson can be reached at [email protected].