Other research universities in the Triangle are feeling these effects as well.
“Basically, there’s nobody at the end to process (proposals),” said James Siedow, vice provost for research at Duke University. “If you were planning to meet a deadline … there’s no way to do that.”
Last year, UNC’s research funding totaled $778 million, with 70 percent coming directly from the federal government and an additional 10 percent coming indirectly from the government through subcontracts with other universities, Entwisle said.
While researchers can continue to use funds from existing grants and contracts, these resources might run out if the shutdown continues for several weeks or months.
“If it becomes too long a period of time, we won’t be reimbursed and we will have to stop work,” said Terri Lomax, vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development at N.C. State University.
Lomax also said this could affect collaboration between universities in the Triangle.
“We won’t be able to issue any new subcontracts while this is going on,” she said.
Furloughed workers
Though the effects on university research are minimal for the time being, federal departments are facing immediate consequences.
Taylor Jones, a senior biological sciences major at N.C. State, works as a lab technician at the USDA. Most workers in the department have been furloughed until the shutdown ends.
“It was a pretty somber atmosphere,” she said of the mood in her office on Monday night. “Nobody thought that it was going to happen.”
The U.S. Department of Education, which is responsible for administering federal financial aid grants and student loans, is also dealing with the effects of the shutdown.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
The department is in charge of the three ongoing federal investigations into UNC’s handling of sexual assault cases.
According to the Department of Education’s contingency plan for the government shutdown, the department planned to furlough more than 90 percent of its total staff for the first week of a shutdown. If the shutdown lasts longer than a week, 6 percent of the staff would be called back to work.
Out of the 212 Department of Education employees who are still expected to work this week, 138 will be processing student loans because the department is obligated to fulfill most loans by Dec. 31.
“We don’t think there are going to be any problems with student financial aid,” Dean said.
But he said the Department of Education could cut funding if the shutdown drags on.
Jones, who depends on the income from her primary job as a USDA lab technician, said she feels lucky because she has a second job in a lab at UNC where she can take on more hours until the shutdown ends. But she said she is nervous for her colleagues who work for the government full time.
“It angers me that people can’t reach a consensus in Congress because it affects some 800,000 workers who are ‘nonessential’ to the government,” she said. “Meanwhile, everyone in office is still getting a paycheck — I think that’s pretty unfair.”
Jones said she hopes to be able to return to work soon — and University officials, like Dean, said they hope the government resumes activity in a matter of days.
“Everyone is hoping that the shutdown does not last for very long,” Dean said. “The congressional leaders and the White House and the Senate are under tremendous pressure from all directions to try and resolve this.”
But Entwisle said there is no way to know when the shutdown might end.
“It’s difficult to predict what’s going to be happening at the federal level — I gave up a long time ago.”
state@dailytarheel.com