Editor,
I was pleasantly surprised to see that UNM is cutting two vice-president positions to save costs. Although many would say it is not enough — that there are others that are more corrupt or overpaid — I still consider it a victory.
I believe that this is a signal that the University hears our dissent. All around campus, staff are disgruntled. When we hear about budget cuts we always hear about cuts to staff. And before we get a chance to shout “nay,” the administrators are gently reminding us that being understaffed, working the job of two, not getting a raise, etc., is better than a layoff. I consider this a veiled threat. The obvious questions floating around campus are “What about all these VP’s with their inflated salaries?” “Why does the little guy always take the brunt of it?”
Well, I think that we were heard. I am not applauding the University for finally taking this measure. I am applauding all of us for making our voices heard and making them take action, no matter how symbolic.
In terms of Raymond Sanchez’s (president of the Board of Regents) response that this is not going to make a big impact, and that compared to overall salaries the percentage going to administration is actually small, well, that really got me mad. Of course the percentage going to administration is small; they are a small percentage of the total number of employees! How dumb do we look!
The University says that they will save $431,500 from just these two people alone. Two families, two sets of children … Those two jobs equal the pay of 22 UNM employees at the starting rate of $9 per hour. Twenty-two families, 22 sets of children, 22 people who might be out on the street without a job. Funny that cutting out $431,000 seems hardly worth it to Sanchez. I wonder how much the University saves when it puts a 2 to 4 month delay in hiring someone at $10 an hour? Is it worth the stress on the department? Is it worth having employees do two jobs at once, shorten their breaks and lunches to fit everything in? Maybe it is worth it to him because he isn’t down there doing the nitty gritty work that goes into making an organization function.
So, my final thought is this: Make it cost them more to cut from staff than from administration. How? By joining together and by being heard!
Shoshana Handel
United Staff UNM Interim Vice President
