EDITORIAL: $ilence

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For several years, financial decisions at Central Michigan University have been justified by the premise that times are tough.

Constant tuition and room and board increases, fewer hours in the computer labs, even limits on the amount of student printing all came to meet economic hardship.

Yet Thursday at the board of trustees meeting, University President George Ross authorized a 2.25 percent one-time lump-sum payment to employees who took a zero-percent wage increase in 2010. Those include professional and administrative groups, office professionals, public broadcasting, supervisory-technical, nonunion fixed-term faculty and senior officer groups.

While it is nice to see these individuals get a few extra dollars in their pockets, the outlay would appear to be frivolous if budgets truly are strained at CMU — especially the same week it was revealed the university has quietly deemed that at least $10 million of funding for a superfluous Events Center always billed as “privately funded” is a permanent allocation. Ross went on to admit similar funding would be provided for even more expensive future endeavors such as the bioscience and College of Medicine buildings.

Many of the individuals set to receive this infusion of cash simply do not need it for the betterment of the university, as evidenced by their willingness to take a pay freeze in 2010. After striking an agreement with the Faculty Association over a new contract last month, we feel the timing of this one-time payday is questionable at best.

A quiet, appeased campus is much less likely to ask the hard questions.

Ross said he has excluded himself from the offer, but it does not diminish the apparent attempt by him and the board of trustees to gain favor from those who have been working without a pay increase for the last year and eight months.

On Wednesday, the Council of Chairs, made up of 22 department chairpersons, made an unprecedented vote to endorse the Academic Senate’s vote of no confidence against Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro. Instead of individual faculty members voicing frustration this time, it is now department leaders casting a large shadow of doubt over the president’s ability to lead.

Then on Thursday, in a closed-door meeting with members of the media, Ross reiterated a point he first made Wednesday night at the trustees-faculty liaison meeting. When asked about the $10 million allocated by the university to the Events Center project, Ross took the easy way out, responding with a simple, “I wasn’t here then.”

And while he makes a valid point — then-President Michael Rao got the ball rolling on the facility renovation — is that the type of leadership CMU needs during tumultuous times?

A real leader stands up and takes responsibility for mistakes made, even if there was little he or she could do about it. A real leader does not play the blame game by insinuating others dropped the ball, and a real leader knows ignorance is no excuse.

Ross must acknowledge that mistakes were made and begin taking action to correct them. Such steps would go a long way toward increasing confidence in his administration, much more than Thursday’s surprise bonus.

Hush money is no substitute for honest action, especially when it comes to the issue of silently transferred funds.