I’ve learned a number of things in my three and a half years in Chico.
Some are basic nuggets of know-how; for example, always, no matter what, check your school email before you go to class. You never know when a golden “class is canceled” ticket will be waiting for you.
Others are more serious, like never get too stressed about school. I don’t want to look back and regret giving myself grief over something I won’t care about in 10 years.
One thing I’ve learned that can always be counted on is that on any given day, someone, somewhere hates President Paul Zingg.
Just last week I lambasted the guy for the ineffectiveness of his campus safety event, the Moonlight Safety Walk.
Greeks hate him because they feel he unfairly targets and punishes them based on reputation. Most dislike him because they feel he gets paid too much and doesn’t do enough.
Most often it’s Zingg’s salary. The complaints have started up again with Zingg and several other CSU Presidents and administrators up for raises following a Board of Trustees vote. Zingg would have $8,385 tacked onto his $279,000 salary.
I can hear the cries of protest rising now. I’ve been critical of Zingg’s salary in the past as well, but I’m giving him a pass this time.
It may seem unfair that Zingg gets a raise while student tuition continues to go up, but the two don’t really have any effect on each other. President Zingg getting an extra eight grand a year won’t cause tuition to balloon anymore than it already has.
Secondly, it’s eight grand. That’s a lot of money to me, but it’s only three percent of Zingg’s salary, and he hasn’t had a raise since 2007. No matter your feelings about the guy, I think it’s alright if he gets his first three percent raise in eight years.
President Zingg is, more or less, the face of the school. So good or bad, if it happens here, his name will be associated with it. Certainly he has come under justified fire during his time here. This is not one of those times though. Let the guy have his raise.
Matt Murphy can be reached at [email protected] or @mattmurphy93 on Twitter.
