‘Stop the cuts’: Professors hold rally against proposed $27.5 million slash in UNL budget

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Faculty, students and community members rallied against proposed budget cuts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Saturday.

Groups gathered in front of the Nebraska Union as Husker football fans flooded the campus. The rally-goers held signs as they tried to get people to sign petitions.

The proposed $27.5 million in cuts would eliminate 58 faculty positions and six academic programs at the university.

“Let’s support the university because we need to keep these great minds in the state,” said UNL professor Theresa Catalano. “It’s a world-class university, let’s keep it that way. These cuts will not allow us to do our job.”

UNL’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors held the “Stop the Cuts” rally before the Husker football team took on Northwestern.

The organization was trying to raise awareness and build public support.

“Like Midas, we have a golden touch across every angle, every area of this state,” Catalano said. “When you cut departments like this, you lose the quality.”

These budget cuts follow after the university has already slashed $75 million over the past five years.

Jake Kirkland Jr. has worked for the university for 30 years. He believes these cuts would severely impact UNL and its community.

“I believe it’s going to do great harm to the institution, let alone to the students and graduate students that have looked to this institution for many, many years,” he said. “The programs they are looking at right now are a travesty. It’s their backbone of making this institution a quality institution that it is.”

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will vote on the proposed budget cuts in December.

But for now, those who rallied say they aren’t giving up.

“We all have an opportunity, and we all are trying to make sure we take advantage of it right now,” Kirkland said. “I’m hoping that we all have noise made by people who really want to continue to see students thrive and see this institution stay the flagship of Nebraska.”