The consolidation plan requires department chairs to form “neighborhoods” of three departments that will share administrative support staff. Brown plans to eliminate five administrative staff positions across 16 of the smallest academic departments through a consolidation plan aimed at reducing expenses, Dean of the Faculty Leah VanWey told chairs of affected departments at meetings early last week, according to three attendees. VanWey wrote that affected staff can apply to vacant “essential” positions that are exempted from the University’s staff hiring freeze, which began in March. According to two meeting attendees, VanWey told faculty that academic units with fewer than three administrative staff would be affected. This is not the first time Brown has attempted to consolidate administrative staff across departments.