wednesday, October 1, 2003
news
the university daily kansan 7A
7A
EMPLOYEES: Classified workers voting on payment for second time
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instead of everyone getting the same raise every year, their pay increases would be partially based on performance.
Under the proposed change, two-thirds of the money for classified employees' raises will be distributed equally, while the remaining one-third will be distributed based on merit.
"They don't think supervisors can be fair," Eakin said. "But it's what we do for the other 3,000 employees."
Kathy Coffey, physical plant supervisor for Facilities Operations steamfitters, said dislike of the new pay system wasn't the only reason she opposed leaving civil service. She said she didn't believe the University had the money to increase staff pay, and if it did give the staff a raise she said she thought it would come from students' tuition enhancement.
"I don't think that the administration is going to be able to pull a rabbit out of a hat on this one," she said. "But if they're taking money from the students, that's wrong."
She said that she didn't trust the legislature or the administration when it came to this issue.
The administration was trying to gain control over the classified staff, she said, citing a Dec. 11 statement made by Janet Murgula, the executive vice chancellor for University Relations.
Murguia was unavailable for comment, but Lynn Bretz, director of University Relations, said Murguia's statement referred to the administration's desire to be able to keep the staff's salaries competitive and consistent with Lawrence's relatively high cost of living.
George Cone, assistant director of Facilities Operations central heating, said everyone was suffering from the poor economy, and there were better ways to fix the financial system than simply abandoning civil service.
Cone said in addition to not wanting a raise at the expense of students' tuition enhancement money, every civil servant had taken an oath to serve the state — an oath he did not take lightly.
"I took an oath to the state, and I'm going to be the best I can be for the taxpayers of the state," he said.
As for the students' tuition enhancement money, he said it should be used solely to improve the quality of students' education.
staff came under University control, a portion of their salary might be paid for by student tuition enhancement.
Eakin agreed that if classified
However, he said that classified staff did improve the quality of education at the University.
"It kind of ruins your experience here if you don't have heating in cooling or if your lab doesn't have electricity," he said.
Eakin also pointed out that raising the salaries of classified staff didn't cost nearly as much as raising the salaries of teachers.
While a one percent raise for teachers might cost about one million dollars, to do so for classified staff would only cost about $350,000.
"We have enough flexibility to do that," he said.
In addition, the Ad Hoc Committee on University Funding, made up of students, faculty, classified and unclassified staff, and administrators approved spending a portion of the tuition increase money to increase faculty and staff salaries.
Still, the classified staff remains divided on the issue.
To try to solve it without further arguing, Cone proposed that the staff that wanted to leave civil service should be allowed to, while the ones that didn't should
be allowed to stay.
Bretz said that the plan had been rejected because it was too complex and would lead to pay inequities between people doing the same job a few years after its implementation. So, compromise shot down, the issue will be put to a vote this week.
"Either way, there'll be bad feelings," said Jansen. "I regret that."
Cone, however, said that he knew of 546 people who were definitely against it.
Jansen said she wasn't sure how the vote would turn out, but she didn't think there were more than a half-dozen people who were staunchly against leaving civil service.
Cone, too, was looking forward to the whole thing being over.
"I love my job until this gets brought up," he said.
After the ballots are handed out tomorrow, they'll be due back to the University Governance office by Oct.14. The outcome will be announced about noon the next day.
If it's passed, the issue will go to the provost, then to the Board of Regents and finally to the legislature before any change would be made.
— Edited by Katie Nelson
CANS: University rivals battle it out in recycling competition
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Lawrence they'd be excited about it and want to increase their amount of poundage as well," said April Lindquist, Kansas State University senior and intern at the center.
Much like its football team, the Manhattan center's recycling production has put up better numbers in the past few years than Lawrence's center.
The Manhattan center's recycling program, which started the competition in 2000, collected 7,396 pounds of cans in 2002. Manhattan's goal is to double those numbers, Lindquist said.
As of July, the center had already raked in 6,401 pounds. Since the Lawrence branch started the program in December 2001, the center has collected 8,000 to 9,000 pounds of cans. Six-thousand pounds of
those cans have been collected in this year alone, said Linda Klinker, program director for Lawrence's Habitat for Humanity.
About 500 Habitat for Humanity affiliates take part in recycling programs similar to those in Lawrence and Manhattan, Klinker said. Out of those 500, Manhattan ranks sixth, while Lawrence is in 20th place. Brian Tongier, Lawrence Habitat for Humanity program coordinator, said if every person in Lawrence would recycle an additional 1.5 pounds, the center could move up to 15th place.
"Everybody I think is really going to be helping us out here," Klinker said. "Lawrence is a great recycling community anyway, and of course we want to beat K-
The top 21 centers at the end of the calendar year are rewarded with home-building grants, ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
State. We just need every can we can get."
The programs' coordinators plan to announce which town is ahead at the football game in Manhattan, even though the contest won't officially end until 5 p.m. the following Monday.
plastic bottles or other non-recyclable products.
Those interested in contributing to the cause may drop off their cans at one of three locations: Lonnie's Recycling, 501 Maple St.; the city Habitat for Humanity Office, 412 E. Minth St; or the "little can house" drop-off site in the parking lot of Immanuel Lutheran Church, 2104 W. 15th St. Klinker said the cans would be picked up regularly and sent to Lonnie's Recycling, where the cans would be counted frequently.
The race is part of a joint, nationwide effort by Habitat for Humanity and the aluminum industry to encourage the use of aluminum cans, as opposed to
Since the national program started in 1997, nearly 8.3 million pounds of cans have been collected around the country.
Lindquist said she was looking for a win-win situation for the Wildcats during the three day period, but that she wasn't so sure anymore because both schools sport 4-1 records on the gridiron.
"I know with football, we looked liked we have two wins that weekend, but now we have a little tougher competition," Lindouit said.
Klinker said she was happy to oblige. Now she wants the Lawrence community to share in her enthusiasm.
"I'm dreaming of cans already," Klinker said. "I don't know what I'm going to do when this thing really gets rolling."
Edited by Dave Nobles
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