East Carolina University announced more temporary furloughs and salary reductions because of the coronavirus pandemic Monday. The entire athletics staff, including coaches, will be affected, and the furloughs will start Nov. 1.
ECU Athletic Director Jon Gilbert said the university is projecting a "sizable deficit" this year because of COVID-19 and the "uncertainty of the 2020 football season complicates the projections."
The total deficit remains "fluid" as the attendance at football games and the number of homes games played have been limited for the campus in Greenville, according to the university.
"The manner in which we are operating is not sustainable," Gilbert said in a message to the university community. "We must find different ways to increase revenue and reduce our expenses."
The furloughs and pay cuts are based on salary and will be effective through June 30, 2021.
_ Football and men's basketball head coaches will have their base salaries temporarily reduced by 20%.
_ Baseball and women's basketball head coaches will have their base salaries temporarily reduced by 15%.
_ Coaches and staff members making greater than or equal to $100,000 will have their salaries reduced by 12%.
_ Coaches and staff members making $50,000 to $99,999 will have their salaries temporarily reduced by 10%.
_ Coaches and staff members making below $50,000 will be furloughed for 12 days.
A group of employees will be on an extended furlough ranging from six weeks to 35 weeks.
"These were not easy decisions but necessary ones as we continue to manage our budget for this year and future years," Gilbert said. "I hold our staff in the highest regard, and I sympathize for all of them as we work to offset our financial losses and navigate a path to sustainability."
The athletic department announced a plan in May to reduce its deficit by $4.7 million. That included furloughs, eliminating several vacant positions and decreasing the operating budgets for sports programs and administrative areas.
ECU also cut four sports _ men's and women's swimming and diving and men's and women's tennis _ in an effort to curb a $10 million athletic department budget deficit that was made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.
Those financial reductions over the last five months "will not be enough" to overcome ECU's deficit, Gilbert said. Officials say they will keep working to be more efficient and stabilize the budget.
ECU furloughed more than 100 employees this summer and put another 25 employees on furlough in September due to revenue losses from coronavirus pandemic. The university estimates more than $25 million in decreased revenue this fall, as the university has issued prorated refunds for housing, dining and parking and suffered other revenue losses.
