Combined Sources
(Amherst, MA) Officials at UMASS Amherst say the loss of housing and dining revenue during the coronavirus pandemic is the major reason the five-campus UMASS system is facing a projected $335 million budget shortfall. System President Marty Meehan told the trustees finance committee Wednesday that it will be critical for the university to remain disciplined in its financial management to remain financially sound. Of the $335 million deficit, a projected $235 million is from a loss in housing and dining revenue because most students are learning remotely and not living on campus. Trustees have also frozen tuition.