More staff cuts may be on the way at Fanshawe College. It’s a prospect that doesn’t sit well with Fanshawe student Jasmine Tuninga. In her fifth year of the human resources degree program, Tuninga says her teachers and staff are her lifeline. “And obviously it affects us all, especially students. I, myself, am online, so with that I can feel it. But I have to have those resources that are reaching out to me, and that I can communicate with. And if fact, by lessening staff, and lessening the ability for us, it affects us directly as students,” she said. In a letter to Fanshawe College staff, President Peter Devlin says exit packages are now being offered. “Our efforts to reduce our workforce have not fully reached our goal and as a result we will be taking additional measures to ensure long-term stability. To support this effort, we are offering all full-time employees a voluntary exit incentive,” the letter reads. Devlin tells CTV News he wanted to give employees time to think about the offer over the Christmas holidays. “I deliberately announced a voluntary exit incentive before Christmas because I wanted employees to take the time to think about this opportunity. It’s out of respect to our employees. Out of compassion and gratitude that I’ve taken that approach,” Devlin said. Devlin adds the incentive package is the same one previously offered for voluntary retirements but has now been expanded to include all staff. The offer comes as the college wrestles a $70 million deficit over the next two years, and it follows the federal government’s cap on international student enrollment. This past spring, the college announced it’s cutting 40 programs and reducing its workforce by 400 as a result of the loss of international tuition. “Our enrollment is a little bit lower than we had anticipated. And so, Canada is less of an appealing place for international students than it once was,” explained Devlin. The problem is certainly not unique to Fanshawe, as colleges across the province struggle financially following the mass exodus of international students. Earlier this week nearly 200 layoff notices were issued at Conestoga College in Kitchener. Like Fanshawe, those cuts followed a voluntary exit program offered to 700 full-time faculty. As for Fanshawe, Devlin says he’s hoping the province comes through with new college funding in the spring budget. “I’m hoping the provincial government will recognize how important the college sector is to their Protect Ontario Program,” he said.
