860 people have been hired in six months since freeze began

Since the hiring freeze was enacted six months ago, hiring at the UA has slowed but not stopped, human resources officials said.

From the beginning of the freeze Oct. 1 to the end of last month, 860 people were hired at the University of Arizona, said Marcia Chatalas, director of compensation and benefits for the Department of Human Resources. However, that number includes employees changing jobs within UA.

In the span between October and December of last year, when nearly all prospective employees required clearance in advance from a vice president and UA President Peter Likins, UA hired 336 employees, said Marshall Moskow, a human resources manager.

That's down from the 637 employees hired during the same period in 2000.

The hiring freeze is still in effect, but vice presidents can now grant clearance for new hires, instead of all approvals requiring Likins' signature.

Deans must be able to demonstrate, however, how they would make additional budget cuts if needed while hiring more employees, Likins said at a town hall meeting April 2.

It is not known how much money UA retained during the hiring freeze, said Ed Frisch, assistant vice president for research planning and management.

Hiring has bounced back a little this spring, with March hiring almost as strong as last year's.

More than three hundred positions are open university-wide, according to the Department of Human Resources Web site.

Of these, 129 are for non-faculty positions, filling a kaleidoscope of jobs across campus, from fry cooks to the dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

As of Wednesday, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences had the most vacant positions, with 73 openings.

Moskow said although the university is only hiring for positions that are critical to the function of the university, many positions are funded from grants and outside sources.

Jobs that are funded by non-UA sources, like Proposition 301 and federal grants, were never frozen.

Some sectors, like the University of Arizona Police Department and the department of communications, were also exempted from the freeze.

Communications will hire more professors next fall, said department head Michael Dues.