In spite of the budget crunch faced by Buffalo State College, several members of BSC's administration received substantial salary increases in 2002 while faculty salaries increased only marginally.

Stan Kardonsky, vice president of finance and management, defended the raises and said they were based on performance, while faculty raises are across the board.

Kardonsky also said the percentage on which raises are based is the same for both administration and faculty, every year.

Steve Pendleton, associate professor of economics and finance, who is BSC's chapter president of the United University Professions, said although administrators say their raises are based on merit, his research shows raises are doled out to nearly every member, almost every year.

The UUP chapter letter for BSC published in January 2004 lists management confidential, or administrative, salaries in both 2000 and 2002. Several salaries have jumped thousands of dollars in just two years. According to the letter:

• Kardonsky, whose salary in 2000 was $128,500, jumped to $145,250 in 2002.
• Hal Payne, vice president of student affairs, had a salary of $122,000 in 2000, but made $142,795 in 2002.
• In 2003, faculty salary increases ranged from $100 to $3,000.
• The average management confidential salary increase from 2000 to 2002 was about $20,400.

Kardonsky said many of the raises were the result of promotions, and management confidential salaries are high because a union does not represent the administration.

“We can be fired at any time,” Kardonsky said. “Perhaps some of us would prefer to have a lower salary but with some job protection.”

Dennis Ponton, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said BSC's budget is smaller this year because it was denied $5 million in state funding . Despite the missing funds, Ponton said BSC's financial situation is stable.

Ponton said class sizes have slightly increased , the number of full-time professors has decreased , and the number of class sections offered has decreased .

“We do pride ourselves on small class sizes, but you might see some changes,” Ponton said.

For some professors at BSC, this is unacceptable. Ram Desai, a political science professor, said the administration should not have received such high raises while other areas of the college are struggling.

“These raises are scandalous,” he said. “I have never seen anything like this in my 40 years on campus.”

Desai said although the raises were part of the problem, the size of the administration has also increased since he came to BSC.

“They shouldn't be cutting courses and faculty,” he said. “They should cut back on the administration, too.”