Budget-tightening at the University of Hawaii’s flagship Manoa campus is beginning to strain some college departments that are eyeing lecturer and graduate assistant positions for cuts to save money over the next two semesters.

The downsizing could lead to increased class sizes and fewer course offerings for undergraduate students, but officials say they are working to ensure students aren’t negatively affected.

The university, which has been spending more tuition revenue than it brings in and burning through reserves, is undergoing various austerity measures under interim Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman, who assumed the position Sept. 1 after Tom Apple was fired amid questions that he failed to address the campus’s financial troubles.

With enrollment falling, UH-Manoa is under a hiring freeze, deans and directors have been told to stay within their budgets, and attempts are being made to rebuild reserves.

Bley-Vroman, who was out of town this week, previously told the Hono­lulu Star-Advertiser that Manoa’s tuition fund balance has dropped from $99 million in 2010-11 to $13 million at the end of 2013-14. The campus is projected to overspend regular tuition revenues this school year by roughly $31 million.

"Many of the factors that caused the fall were beyond Manoa’s control. But the level is really too low. We need first to slow the rate of decline and then rebuild the cushion," he said. "We’re going to do that by reforming the way we make allocations, by putting in place controls and by working with each dean and director to bring spending in line with income. We are committed to doing this in a way that doesn’t harm students."

Departments within the Colleges of Arts and Sciences — Arts and Humanities; Languages, Linguistics and Literature; Natural Sciences; and Social Sciences — appear to be the hardest hit and are facing an estimated $5 million shortfall in the upcoming spring semester, faculty were told at a recent meeting.

The four colleges handle more than half of the university’s liberal arts education volume and, as a result, generate the most tuition revenue. But under current budget practices, tuition dollars do not follow students.

"The chancellor has admitted that Arts and Sciences is underfunded, but when we press them for details, the administration is really vague and keeps saying that we have to remain within our budgets and that there will be no loss in quality," said biology assistant professor Marguerite Butler. "How that will happen, no one knows."

Butler is part of a grass-roots organization of faculty called I Mua Manoa that has been advocating for budget transparency and equality.

To curb spending, the College of Natural Sciences — which includes the mathematics, chemistry, biology, marine biology, physics and astronomy, and computer sciences departments — is considering eliminating graduate assistants across departments in the spring.

In the biology department alone, for example, faculty were told the number of graduate assistants would decrease to 25 next semester from 42 and that at least 23 lab sections will be cut from the schedule.

"Our budget is only $21 million to begin with, and most of it is salaries for faculty and permanent staff," Butler said. "That only leaves lecturers, instructors and graduate assistants — that’s the only place to cut. This will result in classes closing, students being turned away and a loss of tuition revenue and delayed graduation for our students."

The move has angered graduate students, who do not enjoy the job security of tenured faculty, but take on heavy teaching workloads in exchange for part-time salaries, tuition waivers and health benefits. A group of graduate students is planning a rally and sit-in at Bley-Vroman’s offices Monday.

Talia Ogliore, a spokes­woman in the chancellor’s office, said Natural Sciences Dean William Ditto has agreed to revisit his spring semester budget after hearing from concerned graduate students earlier this week.

"The dean of the College of Natural Sciences met with several dozen graduate students to listen to their concerns, including concerns about projected cuts to (teaching assistant) positions and laboratory section offerings," she said in an email. "He is going to review his budget again to consider alternatives for spring 2015, and plans to be able to provide an update on the implications" early next week.

The deans of the three other colleges within Arts and Sciences say they are not planning any cuts to graduate assistant positions in the spring. But some are considering reducing the frequency of some classes and might close smaller sections, depending on enrollment.

"As far as I can see, there are no radical cuts coming for spring, and no student will be shut out of any core classes here," said Jeff Carroll, interim dean of the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, which includes the English and foreign languages departments.

"There has been a little bit of tightening, but I think it’s been done in a nuanced and sensitive manner — for example, slowing down some of the rotations of classes and closing smaller sections where we can save a little bit of money on lecturer positions," Carroll said. "But all the essential courses are going to be there."

Peter Arnade, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, said none of his departments is scaling back graduate assistant positions.

"While we face financial challenges that are very real, we are doing everything possible to ensure undergraduate success; this has been my core focus," Arnade said in an email.

He said he’s had to hold off on hiring permanent faculty the past two years but is doing his "best to ensure all classes students need are available."

Carroll said his departments are also grappling with the hiring freeze.

"We’ve shrunk just through attrition as professors retire, and it’s been a challenge to try to deal with that shrinking number and trying to hold on until we can hire full-time professors again — and there’s no clear picture when that will be," he said.

Butler and other members of I Mua Manoa say the budget constraints are causing divisions between units because allocations are not tied to the amount of tuition a college generates.

"We’re told to increase enrollment but there’s no incentive. There’s no alignment with fiscal performance," she said.