JON HELGASON/Arizona Summer Wildcat President Likins talks to staff about budget cuts and layoffs yesterday in an ILC auditorium. Likins explained the situation and answered questions from the audience.

UA employees are still worried about losing their jobs, despite president Likins and Provost Davis' attempts to quiet employee concerns at a meeting yesterday.

The two UA administrators met with more than 500 staff members to answer questions about the effects of state-mandated budget cuts on the university.

"The deans and directors of the university are working hard to minimize the impact on the staff," Likins said.

However, many UA staff members are still concerned that they will lose their jobs in the coming months as the university budget is strapped to the limits.

Some staff members rely on tuition waivers they receive as a benefit to send their children to college.

Without the waivers, many staff members will not have the money to pay for their child's college education.

Paul Griffin, an equipment mechanic for facilities management, said he took a cut in pay when he left his old job nearly two years ago to work for the university.

He said one of the main factors in leaving his old job was the tuition waiver he receives for his daughter to go to school.

She is beginning high school, and plans to attend the university when she graduates.

Griffin said he does not have enough money to send his daughter to school if he doesn't have the tuition waiver benefit from his job at the UA.

Richard Campbell, a turf specialist, said he does not think he can afford to send his son and daughter to school without the tuition waiver he receives as a benefit, should he get laid off.

"I can find another job, but I don't think the economy will be good enough," he said.

Steve Kovach, a supervisor in custodial services, said his daughters both attended the UA. One graduated from Pima, while the other graduated from the university and recently finished law school.

"The fee waiver was the only way I could get her to law school," he said.

Griffin said he is still worried about losing his job in the next few months.

He said Likins and Davis did not put his mind at ease because they could not tell staff members where the jobs would be cut and when those cuts would happen.

"I believe they're going to get rid of the deadbeats and people they don't like," Kovach said.

He said that custodial job performance is evaluated every four months, and after working at the university for nearly 13 years he knows which members of his staff are least efficient and which ones go above and beyond the required duties.

Campbell said he thinks that he will be able to keep his job but that he is still concerned.

"Isn't everybody?" he asked.

Campbell works as a member of a four-man team that is responsible for maintaining all the grass on campus.

He said he thought his job would not be in jeopardy since there are only four people on the team, and a lot of grass to maintain on the university campus.

However, Campbell said he is worried that when the time comes to lay people off, university officials will first cut staff that has been employed at the UA for many years. Since Campbell has been working at the UA for 15 years, he said he is worried he might be laid off.

Staff members who have been working at the university for about 15 years or so in Campbell's department make nearly double the pay than staff that has been working at the university for five years.

He said he suspects the university will lay off the older employees first so that they can save more money while firing fewer people.