BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana University Athletics Department is taking a financial hit due to the pandemic.
With no Big Ten football and other fall sports canceled, the department is making cutbacks in personnel and pay.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IU Athletics has not participated in an intercollegiate athletic event in five-and-a-half months, which necessitated tough decisions regarding our staff,” said Athletics Director Scott Dolson. “Throughout this process, we have prioritized our staff, and the decision to ask everyone to share the burden was made to minimize the number of employees who would be impacted to a much more significant degree.
Here's what that means: Beginning October 1, all department staff members will be subject to at least a two-week, unpaid furlough between October and next June. Other staff members whose positions have been most directly impacted by the lack of sporting events this fall will have their work hours reduced to either every other week (50%) or, in some cases, in full (100%).
In a statement Friday, Dolson described the financial impact of the pandemic on athletics as "enormous and unprecedented."
To mitigate the financial challenges, earlier this summer, IU Athletics instituted a department-wide 10% budget cut that will save approximately $11.8 million during the current fiscal year, according to the school.
Other actions include:
- A freeze on discretionary bonuses
- A freeze on training trips
- A travel ban
- Curtailing overtime
- A freeze on all non-essential facility maintenance and construction
- The University’s cell phone stipend elimination
- A reduction in outside contracts with vendors
- Head Men's Basketball Coach Archie Miller, Head Men's Football Coach Tom Allen and Athletics Director Dolson taking voluntary 10% pay cuts.
"This remains a very difficult day for our entire IU Athletics family, who devote their time, efforts and energies to supporting our students and representing our department and Indiana University in a first-class way," said Dolson.
