Illustration by Juhye Bak/The Bulletin.

Last week the Board of Regents placed a salary cap on three collegiate presidents including President Lane. Lane’s salary current salary is $202,540 with a compensation cap at $213,200. The freeze was brought on by the state in light of the current budget situation, in an effort to maintain a fair balance between state employees.

We salute the Board of Regents for taking action in regards to the economy.

We live in an age of mass corporate greed and corruption, and layoffs are occurring everywhere you look – except at the top levels.  CEOs are taking bonuses and raises with no concern for the employees they are pushing into financial ruin. The country is lacking in fiscal responsibility and it’s time to for someone to step forward as a positive example.

The Board of Regents made the decision as a symbol of solidarity between the schools and the faculty within them. While we appreciate the gesture, we hope that the Regents have more in store for restoring economic stability to the state. Capping salaries will only do so much in the long run to battle the deficit, so we are hoping this is just the first in many steps that will be forthcoming in the near future.

CEOs who are taking more than they deserve for mansions and corporate jets should pay attention to those working at the state level.  They might feel like they are coming out ahead now, but the bad apples are always spotted and eventually chucked out.

In the not too near future, once the economy has evened itself out and the country has returned to a state of normalcy, those who are fiscally responsible will be remembered as leaders who took the necessary actions to ensure the campus would continue to grow and flourish.

While the idea for the salary cap was not his idea, Lane has accepted this freeze. He said he believes it will be in the best interests of the school and the state if the cap continues until a stronger budget appears.

Lane, along with the other Kansas Regents collegiate presidents, is leading the way into a positive future through his leadership and principles. Lane realizes that he must be held accountable for his actions as leader of the school. Many would be upset to see him receiving raises while other faculty members are taking cuts in pay, possibly losing their jobs altogether or staying unemployed because of hiring freezes.

In the end, the Board of Regents’ actions remind us what college is supposed to be about – not pay raises and bonuses, not ‘hirings and firings,’ but education. By capping his pay, and that of the other university presidents, the Board of Regents is letting us get back to the most important things so that we can succeed in the future.

-The Bulletin staff

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