SGA passes bill to protest administration's raises

Morgan Riehl / staff photographer Sophomore Lauren Broussard, standing, speaks during the STudent Goverment Association meeting Tuesday night.

A bill protesting the school administration's acceptance of numerous and substantial raises was passed at last night's Student Government Association meeting. The bill expressed agreement and support of the Faculty Senate, who passed a resolution March 6, stating "moral outrage" against the administration's acceptance of raises.

"I'm not wealthy, and I don't want to give up what I consider a damn good education so that administration can drive slightly better cars," said Finance Committee Chair Mike Goodman, a senior.

Last March, the Board of Visitors raised in-state tuition by 9 percent and out-of-state tuition by 10.2 percent. In the midst of one of the worst budget crises in the history of the state of Virginia, there was a $170 midyear tuition hike this fall, according to the Feb. 10 issue of The Breeze.

Despite the tuition increases, raises of 26.7, 17.9 and 14.1 percent were given last October to three JMU vice presidents, according to The Breeze.

"All of this adds up to confusion and frustration," said Senate Representative Matt Benjamin, a junior. "And to add to this frustration, two computer labs have been shut down, and majors and minors are being axed."

Because of expected tuition increases and faculty losses next year, the SGA Academic Affairs Committee examined the budget, senior Kevin Winters, academic affairs committee chair, said.
According to Winters, early attempts to obtain a copy of the JMU operating budget were "brushed aside" by the administration, but the committee eventually was able to collect copies of this and the JMU salary lists for the past three years.

Its investigation led to a number of discoveries.

According to Winters, the committee found that there was a large number of salary raises within the past two years.

"In the past year, for example, … total salaries have raised slightly over $800,000," Winters said. "This includes all losses due to retirements and cuts, all gains due to job hirings and all adjusted income."

"This total would not normally be a point of contention, but bear in mind that this increase in salary output comes at a time of a massive budget crisis, two tuition increases within the same calendar year and cuts to academic programs, class offerings and educational facilities," he said.

According to Winters, there was a discrepancy between the figures listed in the budget given to the SGA and the actual pay raises the three senior vice presidents were given.

"For example, here in the department of the vice president of administration and finance, we see that Vice President Charles King's salary is listed at $139,900," Winters said. "However, in the most recent 2002-'03 salary list, he is listed at $150,000. Why the discrepancy?"

The timing in which the three senior vice presidents received their raises in conjunction with the timing of the budget changes also was questionable, Winters said.

The copy of the budget was printed and updated as of Nov. 5, 2002. The copy of the salary list for 2002-'03 was printed on Jan.13.

Winters and the Academic Affairs Committee's overall findings led them to conclude that the increase of the senior vice presidents' salaries had been approved between the two dates in question.

"The special session of the Board of Visitors meeting was held on Oct. 25, 2002. This means from our understanding, the three senior vice presidents did not have their salary increases until after the passage of the $170 midyear tuition increase," Winters said.

Goodman spoke about SGA's role in this matter.

"I think this squarely falls in our jurisdiction. We pay to come here, not to have overpaid administrators," Goodman said. "Given the budgetary situation of JMU and [the state of] Virginia, and JMU's apparent commitment to students, these raises are morally unjustifiable."

Although there was no opposition to create an actual debate over this bill, SGA members posed questions toward the bill.

"I agree wholeheartedly with this," said At-Large Senator Krissy Schnebel, a sophomore. "But think we need to understand that this university is for everyone but it is a business."

The bill continues to resolve that administrators receiving raises higher than faculty should take "the morally upright action of relinquishing these misallocated resources to increase faculty salaries and/or reimburse students for the apparently unnecessary tuition increase."

According to the bill, all new funds should contribute directly to faculty salary increases, the hiring of new faculty and the support of academic programs and educational opportunities.

Since the bill has passed, SGA now can discuss these concerns with the board at its meeting later this April.

The SGA Constitution, which had been under debate for the past couple weeks, passed at this meeting as well.

At-Large Senator Ricardo Pineres, a sophomore, said, "With the passage of the new SGA Constitution, the Student Government Association will now be able to serve the students with greater ease and effectiveness."