With no state budget in place, Chancellor Sam Goldman compared the university to a dancer waiting for music to play.

‘We are shifting from foot to foot waiting for music to start,’ he said. ‘The school will function, but life sure would be easier with (a budget).’

The university has the equivalent of roughly $100 million in the bank, Vice President for Finance and Administrative Affairs Duane Stucky said. The university will use that money until the Legislature can come to terms on an operating budget.

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On average, Stuckey said the university uses about $40 million to stay in operation per month, but concerns have risen with the absence of state funds heading into a new fiscal year.

‘We’ve been getting a lot of questions from our staff about the budget,’ he said. ‘But not having a state budget is not different from previous years. The normal state pattern is they reimburse us (upon settling on a budget).

‘But we need a budget. Then we will know what cuts to make and how big those cuts need to be.’

The SIU Board of Trustees has already given the university the green light to spend at a rate identical to the last fiscal year. And the university does have enough money to be fully operational until September, Stucky said.

But Goldman, who said many university projects are on hold until a budget is in place, said that plan is risky at best.

‘Historically, this is not a brand new case,’ he said. ‘But it is very unsettling. I can’t make many plans or make definitive decisions. We will remain functional, but it’s not a wise or comfortable plan.’

Further complicating matters is today’s deadline for setting a university payroll budget.

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Without knowing the amount of state appropriations coming in, Goldman said there is a real concern as to how much money the university can afford to shell out.

‘We need to get on with our own budgeting and programming,’ he said. ‘(Today) is the deadline for payroll. We are going to meet it, but we have some really big concerns.’

And while a hiring freeze has not been enacted yet, the university is taking proactive measures to make sure new employees are absolutely necessary.

‘We are being very cautious about staffing now,’ Goldman said. ‘We understand the need to hire, but we are afraid of over committing.’

Stucky said the university’s income fund rarely drops below $90 million and almost always hits a low point in August.

‘We don’t want to leave the impression we are not concerned,’ Stucky said. ‘It really hinges on what kind of budget (the Legislature) passes.’