Gravestones at Western Oregon University to memorialize elimination of majors taken down

This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday

Three gravestones were placed near Bellamy Hall on Western Oregon University's main campus in the last week, to memorialize the termination of three traditional majors — anthropology, geography and philosophy.

Since then, decorations of flowers, apples, beads and more were put on the placards by those in support.

It is not known who put up the gravestones, which were removed Monday afternoon.

This time last year, the university's board of trustees approved an adjusted 2021 budget, which required an update on fall 2020 enrollment numbers. Several positions and programs at Western were to be reduced and eliminated in an attempt to curb a growing concern for the institution's financial stability.

Background: Positions, programs getting cut at WOU in latest budget

Western, located in Monmouth, is the state's oldest public university and serves nearly 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The university opened its new Salem campus in September.

The institution's original budget for this academic year, initially adopted at the board's June 2020 meeting, was based on a projected enrollment decrease of 2.5%, officials said.

But because of the COVID-19 pandemic and "many other factors," officials reported enrollment was actually down by 7.9%, resulting in a decrease in revenue. School leaders decided cuts in spending, salaries and other expenses would be used to cover the deficit.

The university planned to reduce or eliminate nearly three dozen full-time equivalent positions and programs, including the elimination of a major or minor in anthropology, a major and minor in philosophy and the entire master's in music and master's in information systems programs.

Pushback on budget cuts

Western's leadership listed various reasons at the time for these decisions, such as historically low enrollment in the affected programs and course changes that influenced staffing.

Mark Perlman, head of the philosophy department, argued the university's claim that there was a budget deficit last year is false.

"They did in fact use that claim to try and justify the cuts they made," Perlman told the Statesman Journal. "But three rounds of infusions of federal money (including CARES act funds) more than made up for the alleged deficit."

University officials did not comment on federal funds when asked about them Tuesday. Western's faculty union is reportedly still attempting to restore these jobs or offer some mitigation.

"I think the message of gravestones displayed at Bellamy Hall was clear to everyone: It is terrible that these programs have been eliminated," Perlman said. "WOU claims to be a 'comprehensive university,' but it cannot really be that without offering majors and minors in core subjects like philosophy and anthropology.

"It is an offense against academic integrity to have eliminated these programs and to have laid off tenured professors with decades of teaching at WOU," he added.

Perlman is one of the two philosophy faculty who were laid off, effective March 30, 2022.

"I have been at WOU (for) 23 years, and am a full professor, and have been tossed aside," he said. "I am too young to just retire, and in the current climate, this will effectively end my academic career."

Related: Western Oregon University opens doors to new Salem location

Tombstones removed for 'full week of activities'

Monday afternoon, Henry Hughes, a professor of literature and writing at Western, learned the memorials would be cleared.

"That is so disappointing," Hughes said. "The installation didn't indict or cast blame, it simply and solemnly memorialized the cancellation of long-cherished fields in the Liberal Arts tradition."

According to Lisa Catto with the university's marketing and communications department, the display was up for more than a week and was not removed by administrators.

The grounds crew removed it in preparing for a week of events, she said, including Tuesday's street closure to put lights on the giant sequoia for the Holiday Tree Lighting, Fall Preview Day, Cesar Chavez Leadership Conference and Veterans Day observance.

Though some majors and minors are being eliminated, Catto said classes will still be offered in those subjects. The list of programs offered is available at wou.edu/academics.

Contact reporter Natalie Pate at npate@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6745, Twitter @NataliePateGwin, or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/nataliepatejournalist.

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This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Gravestones put up at WOU in Monmouth, Oregon, to protest program cuts