UNLV is "reducing the hours of 46 employees in its athletic department because of the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic," according to Sam Gordon of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. The school said that it is "expecting to save" $1.2M as a result of the reductions. Duties of the 46 employees "involved live events or the coordination of travel." UNLV AD Desiree Reed-Francois in a statement said the school "hopes to retain the employees on a full-time basis when live events return to campus." A school spokesperson affirmed that it "doesn’t plan to cut any athletic programs despite the constraints of the pandemic" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 9/12).
STAFF CUTS IN PULLMAN: Washington State AD Pat Chun in an email said that the department has "eliminated 10 full-time staff positions." In Spokane, Theo Lawson noted while it is "unclear what those positions are, they’re the first COVID-19-related layoffs to take place at WSU since the global pandemic shuttered college sports in March." Additionally, Chun, football coach Nick Rolovich and men’s basketball coach Kyle Smith "will all take 15% voluntary salary reductions" while women’s basketball coach Kamie Ethridge "will take a 12.5%" cut. Every other head coach, assistant coach and contracted staff member has been "asked, or mandated, to take a 10% salary reduction." The new cost-cutting plan "should save the school approximately" $3.4M. Combined with a reduction of operating expenses estimated at about $3.1M, WSU "will be saving approximately" $6.5M in FY '21 (Spokane SPOKESMAN-REVIEW, 9/13).
