Staff Assembly approves salary increase request
Parking problems, update of Alliance also discussed at meeting

By Jillanne Johnson
Staff Reporter

Staff Assembly members unanimously approved a letter requesting a salary increase at their meeting Tuesday.
The letter will be sent to Chancellor Michael Ferrari.

Jean Andrus, chairwoman of the Staff Assembly, said staff representatives would like the increase to be considered in the planning of the 2002 budget. No specific amounts were proposed in the letter, but staff members said they want the chancellor to recognize salaries as a university priority.

Sarah Kirschberg - Photo Editor Jean Andrus, chairwoman of the Staff Assembly, presents information at Tuesday night’s Staff Assembly meeting about salary distribution.

Andrus said current staff salaries are far below market value, which is impacting the kinds and the amount of staff the university can attract.

“People just cannot afford to come here (to work) because of the salary,” she said.

Carol Campbell, vice chancellor for finance and business, is responsible for preparing a budget by the end of February for fiscal year 2002, which runs from June 1, 2001, to May 31, 2002. She said the budget, which includes about $3.5 million more in requests than expected revenues, must be balanced by the end of February.

Andrus said increases in the minimum pay rate last year brought only hourly entry-level rates to market value. However, this increase created a compression of salary between existing staff and new hires, she said. A salary compression occurs when staff who have been here four or five years are making equal to or less than staff who are new hires.

In a survey conducted by the Staff Assembly members, 62 percent of the members who responded felt the salary increases should focus on the issue of compression.

“The key is balancing (the budget) between needs,” Campbell said. “Needs are real, (and) compression is real.”

Salary increases are one of three priorities the Staff Assembly set in September for 2000-2001. They are also working on benefits initiatives, including a 1 percent raise in retirement benefits annually for the next three years for non-exempt staff. The Staff Assembly will continue to work on parking issues.

Nancy Grieser, chairwoman of the parking committee and coordinator of housing assignments, said the University Parking and Regulations Committee has decided that beginning in fall 2001 freshmen will no longer be able to park on Main Campus. She said the university may need to move to perimeter parking and is looking at shuttle services to aide in this.

Former Fort Worth Mayor Bob Bolen updated the Staff Assembly on TCUglobalcenter’s presence at Alliance. Bolen said Fort Worth has been working to build the Alliance area for several years, including bringing in new businesses and efforts like the TCUglobalcenter. He said the Alliance community is turning to TCU to find pragmatic ways to manage their growing companies.

“What we did yesterday, and what we are doing today will not work for tomorrow,” Bolen said.

The Staff Assembly will meet again March 6.

Jillanne Johnson
j.johnson@student.tcu.edu
Skiff staff member Angie Chang contributed to this report.