Reviewing the list of administrators? salaries has brought me to a depressing conclusion: I?m in the wrong business. It turns out there are enough big salaries on this campus to make the latest tech company look like a half-way house.

Over 55 administrators have salaries of $90,000 or higher in 2001, ranging from our associate vice president of Academic Affairs/Telecommunication, who will earn $141,252 by year?s end, to the assistant to the provost, who will net $104,004.

The highest salary on campus, of course, belongs to President Donald Gerth,whose $227,448 salary is the result of over $80,000 in raises since 1996. He earns considerably more than Governor Gray Davis. It should also be noted that the average campus president earns less than $160,000.

To be fair, Gerth has served as our president since 1984, in a time that has seen rapid growth at Sac State. He is due a raise from time to time. Also, our associate vice president of Academic Affairs/Telecommunication may very well be an integral part of this campus. However, rampant raises and growing bureaucracy in administration are a disturbing trend in the California State University system. In fact, the number of administrators in the system has grown by 125 percent in the past 25 years, with only a seven percent increase in faculty in that time. This comes at a time when faculty salaries are still lagging, with faculty members becoming increasingly bitter at this two tier pay system. Now we know who has the power on today?s corporate campus?

?Speaking of faculty, your professors and lecturers are being paid on a salary contract that expired on June 30. Highly publicized negotiations have continued between the California Faculty Association, also known as the faculty union, and representatives of the California State University led by Chancellor Charles Reed. This is a David vs. Goliath feud with no signs of a clear ending. The union is at a disadvantage, with less than half of all faculty active within its ranks. Part-time faculty and lecturers in particular have voiced feelings of alienation from the union. President of our local chapter Jeff Lustig said lagging salaries and heavy workloads were among the main concerns. Apparently negotiations are progressing slowly. Said Lustig, “This wasn?t hard bargaining, so much as hardly bargaining.” So will this all lead to the union exercising its highly touted ability to strike? Probably not?

?Being paid somewhat less than the governor, Donald Gerth and even the associate vice president of Academic Affairs/ Telecommunication is our Associated Students, Inc. President, Artemio Pimentel. But that doesn?t mean he and his cohorts won?t be wearing $200,000 smiles. In case this doesn?t ring a bell (if you are one of the 88.6 percent of students that didn?t vote, it may not) let me refresh you. Last year the Vision slate, led by Pimentel, nearly swept the election in student government.

One of their big promises is to keep open contact between ASI and students. Enter Janus Norman, ASI?s newly named press secretary. Apparently Norman will act as a go-between for the press and the many important offices of ASI. This could be a curse or a god send, namely for The Hornet. Worst case scenario: they follow the Reagan-esque pattern of using press secretaries to block, delay and otherwise make reporters? lives miserable a-la last year. Best case scenario: Norman is used to correct all of the problems that occurred by connecting reporters to their desired officials as timely as possible. So far Norman, seems genuinely committed to do just that. Only time will tell.

Joshua K. Leon is opinion editor of The State Hornet and a journalism major. He can be reached for any questions, comments or suggestions at [email protected].