Note: This is not a complete transcript and is shortened and paraphrased in many places.
11:20 a.m. —
University police were told doors opened at 11:30 a.m. After initial confusion, people are inside. Two security guys with earpieces are flanking the front row.
12:00 p.m. —
President Dan Mote, VP for Administrative Affairs Ann Wylie, and Provost Nariman Farvardin will be answering questions starting now. Senate Chair Elise Miller-Hooks is moderating.
12:01 p.m. –
Mote makes introductory remarks: “We’ve tried our best to protect our people. There’s no perfect plan. We did our best to try to distribute this the best we could.”
12:03 p.m. –
Staffer: Those making less than $30,00 a year “will suffer quite a bit.” We think the spreading out of salary reductions idea is pretty good.
Mote: Two furlough days for those making less than $30,000 is less than 1 percent of their salary. That was the best we could do.
SGA President Steve Glickman: “This university prides itself on access, but we remind you that access without quality is not quality at all.” Why don’t students have a seat at the negotiating table, like at Towson or other USM universities?
Farvardin: My advisory committee has student representatives. All significant changes will go through various committees that have student representatives on them.
12:05 p.m. –
Staffer: Why are closure days split up between winter and spring break?
Wylie: Friday during Spring Break is a payday, we have to have people to give out paychecks.
Malcolm Harris, student who ran for SGA president last year: How can you ask everyone to pitch in when there’s no accountability or transparency?
Mote: The budget is in the library, making it more available would be very expensive.
Wylie: We have full transparency, much of budget is on our website. “It’s a very complicated budget.”
Malcolm Harris: “That’s just not true.”