DIAL BACK SALARIES AND HOLD THE LINE ON TUITION

While students at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) are struggling during the middle of a global pandemic, it seems to be business as usual for the administration.

According to a recent access to information request, the position of provost and vice-president (academic) at MUN has increased from a previously lavish salary of $274,500 to an even more lavish salary of $320,000 with the appointment of Florentine Strzelczyk.

The costs for the search for the new provost come to a total of $60,990.89 with most of it spent on professional fees for a headhunting firm.

Strzelczyk’s contract can be renewed for an additional five years and she will receive a research grant of $20,000. She will also be given approximately $8,500 to participate in the Queen’s University Executive Leadership Program.

Strzelczyk and her spouse will be reimbursed for relocation expenses, including all moving, real estate commission or legal fees associated with the sale of their home in Alberta and the fees and disbursements accompanying the acquisition of a family home in this province.

This is the continuation of a trend among senior administrators at MUN.

The salary for the position of president has increased by around $20,000 — from around $460,000 when Gary Kachanoski held the position to $484,000 when Vianne Timmons was appointed.

According to another access to information request, Timmons’ moving expenses amounted to $36,825.

Students have asked the administration to decrease the cost of tuition while the university is primarily offering remote and online classes, but the administration has rejected any such notion. This is despite 3,184 students signing a petition asking for a partial tuition refund last year. Another petition calling on the administration to eliminate newly implemented service fees received 3,255 signatures, but was again rejected by the university’s administration.

In May 2020, Timmons was quoted in the media as saying there is room to move regarding tuition fees and that the university is reliant on provincial funding and so needs more streams of revenue. Timmons said she is open to the possibility of tuition increases. This, at a time of uncertainty during a pandemic.

The team of senior administrators could lead by example by decreasing their salaries during times such as these. Students, the university community and the people of the province deserve better.

Matt Barter

St. John’s