OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Senator Vin Gopal sent the following letter to President Robert Barchi of Rutgers University in response to the university's decision to lay off faculty and staff in the wake of the financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic:

June 11, 2020

President Robert Barchi
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Winants Hall
7 College Avenue, 2nd Floor
New Brunswick, NJ 0890

Dear President Barchi:

I am deeply concerned by the potential impact of Rutgers University’s recent announcement that thousands of Rutgers employees could lose their jobs in the wake of the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this time of economic upheaval, I am sure you would agree that it is critically important that working New Jersey families retain their salaries, their benefits, and their financial stability wherever possible.

While I understand that Rutgers, like all of New Jersey’s institutions of higher education, is facing an unprecedented fiscal emergency during this time, I am sure that, through the use of a combination of reserve funds and prudent budget cuts, the university may be able to retain the employment of its dedicated and faithful faculty. As such, I respectfully ask that you reconsider your decision to lay off members of your staff, and that you instead investigate alternative and more humane means of addressing this shortfall.

Sincerely,

Vin Gopal
Senator, 11th Legislative District