Background information regarding the staff cuts. 

1. Preservation of Programs - We demand that the Allegheny administration fully maintain the operation of all academic departments and programs currently in existence. This requires the preservation of all offered majors, minors, and other degrees as of the Fall 2021 semester. To eliminate and merge programs would not only encourage the transfer of undeclared freshmen and sophomores, but it would discourage the attendance of prospective students. Merging academic programs would increase the workload of staff members, thereby overwhelming college employees and worsening labor conditions. Allegheny’s Unique Combinations motto is ingrained in the academic and social fabric of the community - to cut programs would be a betrayal of the college’s mission and values. 

2. Transparency of Administration - We demand that all of the institution’s financial documents be published in an accessible manner for the entire campus community to read and evaluate. This includes, but is not limited to: salaries for all positions, quarterly and annual financial reports,  and bills of sale. These documents should be thoroughly sourced, up-to-date, and without omissions.  Claims regarding the college’s financial situation have relied on vague descriptions and outdated projections, and have refrained from detailing precise numbers. The absence of clear figures - coupled with deflection and whataboutism - paints the administration’s claims as misleading at best.  

3. Prioritization of Funding - We demand an overhaul of the methods that the Allegheny administration and the Board of Trustees uses its endowment. Instead of cutting programs and staff, we propose that the administration drastically reduce the annual salaries of the highest paid positions - that being the President and the deans. Triple-figure salaries are unnecessary to live in Crawford County.  We also implore the Board of Trustees to increase the endowment rate to at least 6%, and to utilize the increased endowment to pay current staff. This shall coincide with the disbanding of the academic review task force, the body of faculty tasked with determining which programs to cut. With these changes to the college’s financial priorities, the proposed staff cuts shall be rendered unnecessary.