Incentives motivate individuals and groups to do more, to work harder, and to achieve what is great. Incentives come in the form of good grades for students and in the shape of the perfect job for college graduates. And yes, incentives often come in the form of raises for employees who are willing to work just a bit more than their peers. So why does President McDavis insist upon removing such an incentive for the faculty of Ohio University by proposing a 2 percent raise across the board?
The members of the Ohio University Student Senate would like to express their respectful disagreement with President McDavis' decision to raise faculty salaries by 2 percent across the board. If implemented, this policy would erode any incentive for members of the faculty to take initiative in order to better the university experience for its students.
As many students on campus will attest to, the state of academic advising is sub-par at best. President McDavis' proposal will only perpetuate this escalating debacle and leave more students guessing as to what classes they should take or how to read a DARS. With such incentives for ambitious faculty members and quality advisors dissipated, students at OU can only expect even more of the same.
Even more fundamental, and certainly more important, than the downward spiral that is advising is the fact that the students of this university will be paying for the 2 percent raise proposed by President McDavis. If the students, who are often financially strapped, are going to be paying for such a salary increase, shouldn't the increase be based on merit, not a cost of living adjustment?
The students deserve what they are paying for. They deserve to receive a quality education from the highest quality of professors. They deserve their tuition dollars to be reasonably spent, and they deserve a university that recognizes and rewards faculty members who deserve such incentives due to their dedication to the students.
-Kristen Jensen and Chris Downey are, respectively, the president of Ohio University Student Senate and a student senator representing East Green. Send them an e-mail at kj310701@ohiou.edu.
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Letter to the Editor
