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A LITTLE OFF THE TOP?
We all know that everybody is having to cut back on
expenses, and we've heard about layoffs and attempts to avoid
layoffs by using salary cuts instead, and we know that the
University of Georgia, the bedrock of our local economy, is suf
fering its own budget cuts.
Down where the rubber meets the road, education on its
most basic level at the University of Georgia involves students
who are financing their own education by teaching other stu
dents and by helping the professors teach. These are graduate
students who, while taking courses themselves or writing their
dissertations are also teaching lower level courses or assist
ing with research. Regardless of the renown of the professors
at the top of the ticket in a large school like the University
of Georgia, undergraduates in the basic courses are likely to
get the foundation of their college education from teaching
assistants only a few years older and preparing for their own
careers in teaching. TAs teach courses—with the attendant
lecturing and grading of papers—while also doing their own
course work. These are the people—like the janitors—who do
the hard, invisible work of the University of Georgia. Without
them, the institution would simply grind to a halt; the basic
courses would not get taught, and few students would be pre
pared for the advanced
courses taught by the ten
ured faculty.
Now comes word that
these teaching assistants
must absorb budget cuts.
In the English department,
for instance, teaching
assistants who have eked
out a living teaching two
courses per semester will be cut back to teaching two courses
one semester and one course the other semester: a 25 percent
pay cut to the lowest paid teachers who do the most basic
work of the department.
A perusal of the State Auditor's Report indicates that gradu
ate teaching assistants make from S15.000 to $20,000 a year
at the University of Georgia, plus their tuition. Let's say the
average teaching assistant makes $18,000 a year at Georgia. A
25 percent pay cut means $4500 a year to those already some
how getting by on less than a living wage.
Surely this means that the men at the top will absorb simi
lar cuts. We can hope that those responsible for cutting the
budget will soon announce that they are taking the hit them
selves and that by so doing they may be able to avoid whack
ing $4500 from the tissue-thin budgets of those who assemble
the basic building blocks of education at UGA.
Surely these leaders, who are in charge of these agonizing
cuts to the livelihoods of those dependent on their judgment,
will include themselves in this round of cutting. The State
Auditor's Report for fiscal year 2008 indicates that the 10 men
in the “Senior Administration* at the University of Georgia
collectively made a total of $2,951,323, including travel allow
ances. That includes the president, the provost, the senior
vice-presidents and the vice-presidents.
If these 10 men who run the university first cut their
own remuneration by 25 percent, that would make available
$737,831 to help take the pressure off their employees at the
bottom of the budget. In fact, that amount of money divided
by $4500 could mean sparing pay cuts to 164 graduate teach
ing assistants at the University of Georgia.
No one should wish pay cuts on anyone else, but cuts are a
fact of life at UGA, and they should start at the top among the
men who make the decisions about where the ax shall fall.
A 25 percent pay cut
means $4500 a year to
those already somehow
getting by on less
than a living wage.
Pete McCommons ediior@f1agpoie com
*
Homed rone Jeff Tobias continue his
tour blog from Europe.
More live music reviews!
Eco Hustle Would m do better with
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THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:
NEWS & FEATURES
City Dope 4
Athens News and Views
So, is the drought over? How about the legislative session, at least? It’s good news and bad news.
Eating the Yard 7
Edible Landscaping Blossoms in Athens
The idea? The local food movement gets personal, basically
■ rs - /ENTS
The Reader 8
An Epic Tale of Rank Douchebaggery
Behind the Hedges is worth your time even if you already know the whole Mike Adams story.
Film Notebook 9
News of Athens’ Cinema Scene
In a Dream, a doc about Philadelphia muralist Isaiah Zagar, screens at Cind.
MUSIC
Heavy Feather 16
(Mostly) Girl Power
The “benefit band" benefits from some big-name help on its new record.
Noot d’ Noot 17
Turning Farm 255 into Studio 54
Making a rare trip out of the ATL to bring us some psych-funk madness.
CITY DOPE
4
SACRED HARP
15
CITY PAGES
5
HEAVY FEATHER
16
CAPITOL IMPACT
6
NOOT D NOOT
17
HUNGRY GNOME
7
DON’T MISS
19
0RT
8
THE CALENDAR!
21
THE READER
8
BULLETIN BOARD
FILM NOTEBOOK
9
ART AROUND TOWN
28
MOVIE DOPE
10
COMICS
30
MOVIE PICK
12
REALITY CHECK
31
THREATS & PROMISES
13
CLASSIFIEDS
32
RECORD REVIEWS
14
EVERYDAY PEOPLE
35
COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto
featuring artwork by Vadis Turner
on display at ATHICA
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APRIL 8,2009 FLAGPOLE COM 3