6
Friday, October 29, 1999
Faculty Faced With 'Mixed Feelings'
Art Professor Jill Casid
attended the meeting to
protest the importance
being placed on salaries.
By Karev Wutkowski
Staff Writer
Although Board of Trustees members
approved a proposal Thursday that
could deepen faculty members’ pockets,
professors remain characteristically
divided on the issue.
Most faculty said they were pleased
by the prospect of a pay raise, but they
were disturbed that the increases could
come at the expense of their students.
BOT members approved a proposal
that would increase undergraduate and
graduate tuition $1,500 over five years
to help raise faculty salaries.
“I’ve got really mixed feelings,” said
Charles Konrad, an assistant professor
of geography.
“I hate to see the students have to pay
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Interim Chancellor Bill McCoy and Board of Trustees chairwoman Anne Cates meet with the UNC Board of
Trustees on Thursday in the Morehead Faculty Lounge. The BOT voted 9-3 to increase tuition by $1.500.
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for (the salary raises).”
But Konrad said he could not think of
a feasible way to both increase salaries
and keep tuition low. “We’re between a
rock and a hard place,” he said.
Faculty Council Chairman Pete
Andrews, who spoke in support of the
proposal at the meeting, said the BOT’s
proposal was an appropriate solution.
“I’m glad the trustees tried to find a mid
dle ground,” he said.
“It was a fair balance between the
needs of the students and the needs of
the University.”
Andrews said salaries were an impor
tant element in retaining UNC’s status
as a competitive institution.
“We need (the tuition increase) to
keep us from falling further behind peer
institutions,” he said.
“We’re not trying to be number one.
We’re just trying to stay competitive.”
Chemistry Professor Edward
Samulski said there was a need for high
er faculty salaries. “Increased facility
salaries are important. They could keep
people from leaving my department,”
Tuition Vote
“I’m very displeased with the
vote. (The BOT) just zoomed in
on the proposal. It’s pitted fac
ulty against students. ”
Maria DeGuzman
UNC English Professor
he said.
“When we’ve tried to bring someone
in at the senior level, we’ve failed.”
But Samulski said faculty salaries
were secondary when trying to maintain
the University’s competitiveness.
“Increasing tuition is more important
than increasing faculty salaries,” he said.
Samulski’s past comments sparked
controversy when, in a letter to the
Chancellor’s Committee on Faculty
Salaries and Benefits, he criticized
UNC’s dedication to maintaining low
tuition rates and called the University’s
current tuition embarrassing.
Seeing low tuition as a higher priori
ty, a handful of professors on the other
side of the faculty fence sat in on
Thursday’s meeting to protest the pro
posed tuition increase.
Art Professor Jill Casid said the
importance given to faculty salaries was
misplaced.
“Faculty salaries is a bogus issue,” she
said. “What does raising salary really
mean? Programming and research sup
port is much more important.
“Most professors would choose a top
lab over a high salary," Casid said.
English Professor Maria DeGuzman
came to Thursday’s meeting armed
with a sign that read, “Faculty Against
the Tuition Hike, Not on the Back of
Students.”
DeGuzman said students’ access to
the University was more important than
faculty salaries.
“(UNC is) supposed to be a public
university with admission for the pub
lic.”
DeGuzman, who came to UNC from
Harvard, also said elements other than
salaries drew faculty to a university. She
said the BOT had not fully explored its
options.
“I’m very displeased with the vote,”
she said. “(The BOT) just zoomed in on
the proposal. It’s pitted faculty against
students.”
Although some say friction is a prod
uct of the proposal, Brian Billman, assis
tant professor in anthropology, said the
salary increases were a real need.
“There are serious problems with
The Chanqinq Faces of UNCs Tuition Plans
In a historic vote, the Board oTtrustees approved a $1,500 tuition increase for all UNC students over the next five years. The approved plan differs
slightly from the figures proposed earlier this month by the Chancellor's Committee on Faculty and Salary Benefits.
Board of
Trustees
Increase: 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005
in-state Undergrad: $2,364.82 $2,664.82 $2,964.82 $3,264.82 $3,564.82 $3,864.82
$1,500 over five years
Out-of-state Undergrad: $11,530.82 $11,830.42 $12,130.82 $12,430.82 $12,730.52 $13,030.82
$1,500 over five years
In-rtate Graduate: $2,405.42 $2,705.42 $3,005 92 $3,305.42 $3,605.42 $3,905.42
$1,500 over five years
Out-of-state Graduate: $11,530.82 $11,830.82 $12,130.82 $12,430.82 $12,730.82 $13,030.82
$1,500 over five years
Committee
Increase: 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005
Unde /9 rad: $2,364.82 $2,864.82 $3,364.82 $3,864.82 $3,864.82 $3,864.82
$1,500 over three years
Out-of-state Undergrad: $11,530.82 $12,030.42 $12,530.82 $13,030.82 $13,530.52 $13,530.82
$2,000 over four years
In-state Craduate: $2,405.42 $2,905.42 $3,405.92 $3,905.42 $4,405.42 $4,405.42
$2,000 over four years
1
SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS DTH/TJAY RICHARDS
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Student Body President Nic Heinke sits at the Board of Trustees meeting
Thursday. He was one of the three who voted down the tuition proposal.
faculty salaries. I’m a junior faculty
member, and I’ve found that it’s difficult
to get by month to month,” he said.
But Billman said he was not pleased
with the BOT’s proposal.
“It’s not the best possible solution.
The best solution would be that the leg
islature would come up with the money
to bring salaries up.”
Legislative funding also appealed to
statistics Professor Stephen Marron. “It’s
a great time for the state economy. It’s
(Eljp iaily (Ear Rrrl
booming. (The state legislature) should
make an investment in the University.”
James Lee, an assistant professor of
communications studies, said he wished
the BOT could have found other
avenues of support.
“I cannot believe that the best prob
lem-solving minds in this arena cannot
come up with something better.”
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.