On November 13th, President Miaoulis emailed faculty announcing a university-wide furlough. This furlough requires most employees to take one week with no pay. The goal is to close almost half of the 3.5 million dollar budget gap. The furlough received major backlash from faculty and students. Sparking picketing that took place before Thanksgiving break. NEARI is calling the furloughs a violation of federal labor laws. They referred to RWU’s management team as a “rotating cast of characters with little to no institutional knowledge or interest in the long-term viability of the university.”