This is due to the Coronavirus crisis and the plan is for these layoffs to be temporary.
WBUR reports:
UMass Lowell Cuts 100 Jobs — For NowUMass Lowell, the second-largest public university in Massachusetts, will lay off about 100 members of staff.University officials said the cuts to personnel — which are now deemed temporary, and will last at least several months — are part of an effort to close a projected budget deficit of $50 million.The pandemic struck the Lowell campus with a vengeance, as it has with many colleges and universities. The school had to return $15 million in fees for housing, meals, room and parking to students forced off campus in the spring, while revenue from events and campus rentals dried up completely.The university plans to reopen its campus in the fall, but it remains unclear how many students plan on returning.Lowell is not the only UMass campus to experience cuts. Last month, about half of the contingent faculty members at UMass Boston were given notice that they may not have work in the fall.In a statement, Lowell administrators said they’ve made other cuts this year — including a 20% decrease in operating budgets, weeklong furloughs, and an earlier wave of layoffs affecting part-time workers.
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