Faculty victory, a UW defeat

Conveniently during the quiet sabbatical of spring break, the UW agreed to pay faculty members $17.45 million in back pay.

This settlement draws a nearly four-year dispute to a close, which stemmed from a class-action lawsuit brought forth by engineering professor Duane Storti.

Storti claimed that, according to the "University Handbook," the UW had promised 2 percent merit raises to faculty salaries. The UW contended that it was unable to enforce the raises during the 2002-03 academic year because of inadequate funding.

A victory for the UW faculty is a blemish to the institution in disguise.

"Inadequate funding" seems to be the catch phrase this institution has begun to use for "low-priority."

As a world-class institution, it should be the UW's job to maintain its world-class faculty. The UW shirked this responsibility in 2003 and it continues to neglect it today.

Each year, the UW loses or fails to capture the caliber of faculty it deserves based on our institution's inability to competitively pay its staff.

Though the administration frequently cites its commitment to competitive faculty wages, the cost of living in Seattle continues to rise as the administration's promises lag far behind.

In all, the lawsuit represented 3,200 faculty members who did not receive a raise in 2002-03. The settlement averages several thousand dollars per person, according to the March 17 Seattle P-I story.

This settlement represents a stain on the UW's reputation and will undoubtedly hamper its ability to recruit quality staff in the future.

How many professors, like Storti, must come forward before the UW does its job and keeps its promises to faculty?