Employees prepare for buyout deadline
Everton Bailey, Managing Editor
Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: News
With more than a week to go before the deadline to accept voluntary buyout packages, full-time University employees are still weighing their opinions.
For some, like Marilyn Martone, an associate professor of theology and religious studies, the choice to accept the buyout was a "very easy decision."
"I was already thinking of retirement and my husband is already retired," she said.
"I'm just looking at this as the start of a brand new adventure."
Martone is one of the more than 1,700 full-time St. John's employees who have been presented with Voluntary Separation Offers by the University. Of the more than 3,000 workers employed by St. John's, more than 2,100 are full-time.
At the end of January, St. John's faculty, administrators and staff were notified that VSOs would be offered in order for the University to maintain a balanced budget.
The deadline to accept the offer is March 12.
To determine eligibility, each employee was given a score based on a combination of their years of service and age to determine their eligibility. Faculty members with a score of 65 or over fall under the eligibility list while 60 is the cut-off number for administrators and staff.
"I've had a wonderful experience here and I guess I had to leave while the experience was still so wonderful," said Martone, who has spent for 26 years at St. John's.
"But I know this has been hard for a lot of people because they feel their identity is tied to the University."
Some employees, like Chaman Jain, a professor in the economics and finance department, said they feel there are more reasons for them to stay than leave.
"I was offered a good package but I don't think I'm ready because I enjoy what I do," he said. "To me, if I took that package it would be like the end of my life here.
"I look forward to coming to the University and doing research, I'm even here on Saturdays. All that would end if I took that package and that's not what I want."
For some, like Marilyn Martone, an associate professor of theology and religious studies, the choice to accept the buyout was a "very easy decision."
"I was already thinking of retirement and my husband is already retired," she said.
"I'm just looking at this as the start of a brand new adventure."
Martone is one of the more than 1,700 full-time St. John's employees who have been presented with Voluntary Separation Offers by the University. Of the more than 3,000 workers employed by St. John's, more than 2,100 are full-time.
At the end of January, St. John's faculty, administrators and staff were notified that VSOs would be offered in order for the University to maintain a balanced budget.
The deadline to accept the offer is March 12.
To determine eligibility, each employee was given a score based on a combination of their years of service and age to determine their eligibility. Faculty members with a score of 65 or over fall under the eligibility list while 60 is the cut-off number for administrators and staff.
"I've had a wonderful experience here and I guess I had to leave while the experience was still so wonderful," said Martone, who has spent for 26 years at St. John's.
"But I know this has been hard for a lot of people because they feel their identity is tied to the University."
Some employees, like Chaman Jain, a professor in the economics and finance department, said they feel there are more reasons for them to stay than leave.
"I was offered a good package but I don't think I'm ready because I enjoy what I do," he said. "To me, if I took that package it would be like the end of my life here.
"I look forward to coming to the University and doing research, I'm even here on Saturdays. All that would end if I took that package and that's not what I want."
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