Questions were raised at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point as to whether the Dec. 9 snow day could be considered one of four personal furlough days for faculty, while little effort was put into coordinating it as a furlough day for UW-Madison faculty.

As a mandated cutback in the two-year state budget cycle of 2009-11, the eight furlough days consist of four chosen by each institution and four left to the discretion of the individual employee. For nine-month employees, six furlough days are required, four of which follow the institution’s set of furloughs.

According to UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas, UW’s assigned furlough days are Nov. 27, Dec. 30, April 2 and May 21. Furlough days amount to a 3.065 percent reduction in annual pay to faculty.

Lucas said UW-Madison faculty could potentially use the snow day as a furlough day, but he said he was not sure if faculty were actually aware they could do so. There has not been much discussion about it among UW-Madison professors and staff, but it is still definitely an option, Lucas said.

However, he said with the snow day already past, professors will be less likely to take advantage of it as a furlough day.

At UW-Stevens Point, Director of Personnel and Payment Services Bob Tabor looked into the possibility of the Dec. 9 snow day counting as a furlough day. After receiving confirmation it could be included, teachers and faculty then had to decide whether or not to count it.

Furlough days are not to be taken when teachers are committed to classroom or office hours, making Gov. Jim Doyle’s instruction to close all schools and state offices on Dec. 9 a potentially valid furlough day, Tabor said.

“For faculty, it may be an ideal day to consider as one of their flexible furlough days,” Tabor said. “The academic part of the facility was shut down, so the requirements of the faculty to take off when these conditions exist would be an ideal time [to include it].”

One of UW-Stevens Point’s four fixed furlough days occurred Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. The remaining three are also close to vacation dates: Jan. 4, March 22 and May 31, according to Jeff Morin, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at UW-Stevens Point.

“We wanted to spread them throughout the year so that faculty and staff weren’t affected too much in their concentration,” Morin said.

Tabor is optimistic the furlough days are being allocated in a responsible way.

“I think it’s about the fairest way to administer [furloughs] that you could find. It doesn’t significantly affect how we deal with our students in any way,” he said.

Dan Sivek, College of Natural Resources professor at UW-Stevens Point decided not to take Dec. 9 as a furlough day, opting instead to grade papers and write exams.