Way to go Gerald O’Dell! I would like to endorse your efforts to bring women’s salaries closer to parity with those of men in your department. One need only calculate the prior base salaries from the figures listed in The Star’s accompanying chart (e.g. a $546.00 increment is 42.8 percent of a base salary of $1275/month—for a nine-month contract) to realize that these raises are entirely appropriate.

We are, of course, an academic institution with academic priorities. It seems to me that your use of academic productivity as a guideline for determining increments honors those priorities. But we are also an employer with obligations to equity, and I am heartened by your commitment of resources to meet those obligations.

Please keep up the support for women’s athletics, and don’t let the flak get you down.

Sharon Howard

Director

University Resources for Women