SUNY trustees will vote Tuesday on a proposal to raise salaries up to 45 percent for the system's chancellor and the presidents of its schools. This vote, which will happen without a period of public comment, comes in the wake of Governor George Pataki's veto of funds for low-income students and the repair of aging facilities.
Although tuition was not raised for undergraduates for this academic year, students saw hikes of nearly $1,000 last year. Also, because the vote comes before a budget has been proposed, the public will not know how these increases will be paid for. The Spectrum feels that such drastic salary increases in this atmosphere of rising student costs is contemptuous and that President John Simpson should stand up against it.
At his investiture two weeks ago, Simpson spoke of the importance of ensuring public access to SUNY. This should be the first priority of the SUNY trustees and the state legislature. Adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to executive salaries just months after George Pataki vetoed millions in funding for the state schools is a signal that SUNY's leaders have their priorities wrong.
SUNY chancellor Robert King said he believes the salary hikes are necessary for SUNY to stay competitive with other academic institutions. We've heard this excuse from Albany before. Last year they justified tuition hikes partly by saying that it would align SUNY tuition with the price of college in other states.
It's an unconvincing argument. The SUNY system is accountable only to the residents of New York State and must make decisions based on our interests. That huge tuition hikes and big executive pay hikes are okay because other schools are doing it too isn't a good reason because nobody is leading. State schools across the United States are spiraling into a state of distance from the underprivileged people who need them most. New York should stand up against this troubling trend. If everyone jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, today's SUNY leaders would do all they could to reserve their place in line.
Currently President Simpson makes $225,000 in base salary. If the proposed increase passes, Simpson - along with the presidents of Binghamton, Albany and Stony Brook - could see salaries as high as $339,000. Given his strong stance on maintaining public access to higher education, Simpson should oppose this increase publicly and voice his discontent to SUNY trustees.
Those trustees are also conducting this vote in a manner that is inconsistent with democratic procedure. Holding the vote before a public comment period is an irresponsible use of taxpayer funding. Dissenting voices must be allowed to penetrate the bubble of Albany to ensure that the board is accountable to SUNY's patrons. If the board were confident that their decision would meet a standard of public approval they would not feel the need to hide behind closed doors.
Modest increases, as opposed to increases of almost 50 percent, can be tolerated over time. But the overall guiding principle of all decisions by the SUNY trustees should be to promote the ability of students from every income bracket to attend state schools. Decisions that run contrary to this principle, even in symbolism, send the wrong message.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
