Author: Christian Kendall
The 17-day government shutdown that ended Oct. 17 could cause the student and faculty research budget at Occidental to be more than $300,000 in debt, according to Grants Specialist Jaletta White-Griego. The debt burden could cause cuts in research or the college’s budget in general for the next quarter.
The federal government cut off access to websites and applications required to obtain government funding needed to balance budgets and plan future projects at institutions nationwide. Delays in government funding are common and it is normal for educational institutions to provide the expected federal fund amount until the money is actually transferred, according to White-Griego.
“Money is spent on a reimbursement basis,” White-Griego said.
The lag between spending and actual receipt of funds causes a gap in funding as work continues between the time government agencies award funds and institutions’ requests are actually processed, which usually happens Oct. 20, according to White-Griego.
“[The government agencies] will receive an onslaught of proposals,” White-Griego said.
The backlog of grant proposals and requests for funds may further stymie progress in obtaining government support for both students and professors.
“The shutdown came at one of our busiest periods,” National Institute of Health (NIH) Extramural Research Chief Sally Rockey wrote on a post on the NIH website updating the situation. This backlog could stall the process even longer.
In the same announcement, Rockey stated that all October deadlines will be moved back. Many professors at Occidental are counting on funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as well.
“I am working as if there will be no changes,” chemistry professor Eileen Spain said. “While I know what documents to prepare… I could not upload them… or communicate with my program officer at the NSF.”
In Spain’s case, she still had access to application materials but they required detailed budget information, which was not available. The NSF and NIH have yet to return to full function, rescheduling meetings and offering full administrative support. The NIH electronic systems opened back up to the public on Oct. 21. Those seeking funding from the NSF are still in the dark about possible deadline changes and a return to normal function. While these agencies play catch-up, the college’s outstanding balance could continue to increase as delays extend the usual drawdown period—possibly causing cuts in research or the college’s budget for the next quarter.
The delays in support and access to applications affect student researchers on campus as well. Multiple professors have had similar struggles with submitting grant proposals, specifically to the NSF, although they were unable to comment further due to the pending status of their projects. Students at Occidental often participate in research facilitated by principal investigators (PIs) on campus. Professor Spain’s on-campus laboratory supports several undergraduate researchers, who were allowed to complete published works in professional journals last summer.
“Proposals for projects in April or May are usually submitted in late October and early November,” White-Griego said.
If PIs are not able to submit proposals on time, it may result in the loss or gaps in funding that will last until next year. Not only will their personal projects suffer, but the opportunities usually available for students to join professors and PIs on campus could take a hit.
Additionally, students have met direct adversity with work opportunities supported by government agencies.
“Our government-funded employers have not been able to recruit on campus during their furloughs,” Career Development Center Coordinator Ananda Dillon said.
Applications and support at many government websites were out of commission during the shutdown as well. This has affected student researchers at Occidental applying for funding and fellowships themselves for projects and graduate-level research.
“It’s already a stressful time… with GRE testing and applications to fill out, so it was one added frustration to see that government-run fellowship funding was halted… since some of our future research could depend on that,” biochemistry major Shannon Owens (senior) said.
Many government funded fellowships help graduate researchers in disciplines across the quantitative and social sciences by supporting proposed research projects — increasing the appeal of already funded graduate school candidates while enabling them to pursue original work.
For the first time in weeks, candidates for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program can view and work on their applications. Students who did not submit reference information before this time have gone weeks without details for their recommenders to use in writing letters. Students who did not register before Sept. 30 have not been able to prepare any significantly focused materials. Neither Occidental faculty nor undergraduate research hopefuls have had any information on whether deadlines for the NSF will be moved.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
