THE ISSUE: Some Western faculty and staff members have organized a petition protesting the raises of some administrators, which the Board of Regents will vote on this Friday.

OUR VIEW: After urging prudence in the wake of a 4-percent budget cut, President Gary Ransdell is sending the wrong message by approving raises for some administrators.

Last semester, some faculty and staff members were angry after learning they would receive one-time bonuses as opposed to the salary increases they were expecting.

Facing a mandatory 2-percent budget cut, President Ransdell slashed another 2 percent from the budget to fund those bonuses.

At the time, the Herald said faculty and staff were being unreasonable for expecting a raise amidst massive cuts.

Now, following Barbara Burch’s $32,000 raise in April and the proposed raises for Athletics Director Wood Selig and Dean Kahler, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, faculty and staff members have every reason to be upset at the mixed messages administrators are sending out.

The petition states that the recent raises are “in direct opposition to the President’s statement that there will be no raises for faculty and staff this year beyond modest bonuses between $500-$1,000 which were funded by a 2% budget cut.”

The unclear communication from administrators concerning raises is a good example of the poor employee/employer relations that can ruin an institution.

The nearly $34,000 raise for Selig and the nearly $19,000 raise for Kahler also illustrate Western’s misplaced priorities.

With the exception of football, the success Western athletics have enjoyed under Selig have likely put him on the radar of bigger-name universities.

Kahler may be receiving similar attention for his work.

Considering their higher profiles, it would be understandable to increase their salaries and make them more competitive compared to those at other universities.

However, considering Western’s current economic situation, it isn’t the right time for such a move.

With a smaller budget and higher tuition costs for students, all of Western’s employees should have to sacrifice until the financial crisis improves.

High-ranking administrators shouldn’t be exempt from the sacrifices faculty and staff members have been asked to make.

The Herald supports the petition started by faculty and staff members and their decision to call Ransdell out on his hypocritical decisions.

Holding administrators accountable to what they say is more important than ever considering Western’s financial situation.

When the Board of Regents meets on Friday, the Herald hopes its members will recognize the unfair nature of Western’s spending policy and reject the proposed raises for Selig and Kahler.

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Herald’s 11-member editorial board.