weekly PRINT EDITION
wednesDAY, april 13 ¡– MU tuesDAY, april 19, 2016 N p7 DO volume 102, Issue 30 ! SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1913
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Ted Cruz rallies in San Diego P2
GRAPHIC BY KAYLEE ANDREWS, PRODUCTION DESIGNER
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Faculty wins ‘Fight for Five’ El club de baile que esta de moda P7
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Softball seeking offense in MW play P6
arts & lifestyle
Student’s story inspires recovery P11 The Daily Aztec publishes its printed weekly edition on Wednesdays and serves the students, faculty and community of San Diego State University.
jamie ballard news editor ____________________________ After several months of dispute over faculty salaries and the threat of a system-wide strike, the California State University system has agreed to grant faculty not only the requested 5 percent salary increase, but a total 10.5 percent in general salary increases over a threeyear period (fiscal years 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18). “I am delighted that we have reached a tentative agreement with (the California Faculty Association),” CSU Chancellor Timothy White said. “Nobody wanted there to be a strike. It’s a very good thing that we were able to avert that interruption and invest in both student success and in our faculty.” CFA President Jennifer Eagan agreed. “This militant activity was not what we wanted to do,” she said. “It was evidence of an economic crisis. And this raise, while it may not make faculty rich or end economic problems, it will alter the course of our relationship with the CSU and signal that we can work as a team. We feel that the CSU truly values the faculty, along with the students.” In a media conference call with White and Eagan, White reported the salary increase’s overall cost to the CSU would
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be approximately $200 million over the three-year period. This accounts not only for the salaries, but also the associated benefits. The CFA reports average faculty earnings at $46,000 annually. A 10.5 percent increase would amount to roughly $4,830 per faculty member. The CSU reports average faculty earnings at $66,900 annually, meaning a 10.5 percent increase would amount to approximately $7,024 per faculty member. The first set of increases will come during the summer. There will be a 5 percent General Salary Increase on June 30 for all faculty on active pay status or on leave, and a 2 percent General Salary Increase on July 1. White said this 7 percent is coming from a variety of sources. There is a 2 percent budget increase that was intended to be spent this past year, but was not spent because negotiations were in progress. There was another 2 percent from the initial funded increase that was not awarded in 2015-16. The CSU also budgeted a 2 percent increase for the 2016-17 year. The sources for the remaining 1 percent of the funding are still being settled. “There are other ideas and known sources that are still a work in progress, but we are
confident in the outcome,” White said. CSU spokeswoman Toni Molle said there are no plans for a tuition increase this year or next. The CSU had previously said in order to give faculty the requested 5 percent, it would be forced to cut operating expenses at the universities. White said this is no longer the case. “Those documents (stating the CSU would have to cut operating expenses to fund the CFA proposal) were based on a funding solution for the 5 percent and the SSI being paid out in the current year,” he said. “Now that we have a multipleyear tentative agreement in place, those numbers are no longer valid.” White said the fact-finders’ report, released on March 28, was helpful in reaching the agreement. It also recommended that all parties continue to study the faculty salary issue and develop a joint strategy to seek state funding. In an email to all San Diego State students, staff and faculty, President Elliot Hirshman’s office wrote, “We recognize that this has been a difficult time for our faculty, staff and students, and we appreciate the collaborative spirit that has guided our campus discussions on these challenging issues. In recognition of the critical
contributions of our faculty and staff, SDSU has committed significant campus base funding to support the referenced compensation increases for faculty and staff.” Specifically, SDSU has committed approximately $2.5 million in campus funding, which is approximately 1 percent of the 5 percent that will be allocated on June 30. “We will allocate these funds from our university operating fund, which consists of state appropriation, tuition, and cost recovery revenues,” SDSU Chief Communications Officer Greg Block wrote in an email. “The referenced funds were being held as a reserve in the university operating fund in preparation for next year’s budget contingencies and will not be re-allocated from other current uses.” The email from President Hirshman’s office also read, “This agreement also has implications for increases in staff compensation under existing collective bargaining agreements. Specific information about increases in staff compensation will be forthcoming.” This tentative agreement must be approved by the CFA Board of Directors, ratified by CFA members and approved by the CSU Board of Trustees at its meeting on May 24 - 25.
P10 Design and technical students thrive backstage
Alek Sanchez, staff writer