An Ohio University student trustee and OU’s Student Senate discussed the university president’s raise during Wednesday’s meeting in what quickly became a tense environment, requiring the calling of order several times.
Senior Student Trustee Allison Arnold addressed student senators’ concerns over a recent $25,000 raise and $58,548.15 bonus for OU President Roderick McDavis approved last Thursday by the OU Board of Trustees.
Arnold presented the board’s case for the raise to senate, arguing that prior to the raise, McDavis was the ninth highest paid public-school president in the state of Ohio.
“It was disheartening for me to see OU listed that low on a list,” Arnold said, adding that the process of giving McDavis a raise began with a review of the president by the trustees that yielded generally positive feedback.
The need to keep OU administrative salaries competitive fueled the pay raise, Arnold said, along with the board’s opinion that McDavis has been successful as president.
Some student senators, however, did not agree with the reasoning.
“I pay more, and I’m told the university is constantly in jeopardy, but the president should get more money … you can see where a lot of students would take that as a slap in the face,” said Jared Henderson, senate’s Academic Affairs commissioner.
Henderson and several other senators questioned the argument that McDavis’ salary needed to be more competitive after Arnold said the president had no intention of leaving OU.
“I don’t know if I’m in favor of McDavis getting a raise,” Student Senate President Zach George said.
He added that last year, members of OU’s administration made it seem that tuition increases were necessary to keep buildings open and the university functioning.
George said he hopes to meet with administrators in the near future.
“It’s disrespectful to students for McDavis to take a pay raise,” Henderson said. “I feel like students were lied to.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
