NIU plans to implement a salary equity task force after concerns were voiced of a gender-based pay discrepancy of potentially up to $8,000.

These concerns were made known by biological sciences professor Virginia Naples who has researched faculty salary inequalities for more than 20 years and has 12 years of data which she derived from NIU working papers and the Illinois Board of Higher Education website.

Naples said female professors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are earning $8,000 less than male professors, according to her research. For female assistant professors, the difference is potentially about $1,000 and for associate professors the difference is potentially $2,000.

NIU is holding off on hiring an outside firm to check salary equity because the state budget impasse makes about 20 percent of NIU’s budget uncertain, said Alan Phillips, vice president of administration and finance.

The budget impasse is due to a lack of agreement between Gov. Bruce Rauner and the state legislature on a Fiscal Year 2016 budget. Without a finalized budget, appropriations for things such as higher education cannot be given. Illinois is the only state without a budget for FY 16.

“[We check for salary equity] typically through an outside examination firm, that is expensive,” Phillips said. “We could do an inside examination, but the concern is that we’re just still waiting on funding from the state so money is very tight.”

Naples said she did not account for staff salaries when researching salary inequality.

“I’m not ignoring the staff, I just don’t know how to compare that data,” Naples said. “I don’t personally understand how the staff salary ranking ought to be done, but I do know from speaking with many other staff, their salaries are atrociously low.”

Naples presented her data to Phillips in December, at which Phillips said faculty salaries studies were conducted in 2008 and 2011 that determined there were no salary equity issues.

“We focus greatly on equity and it’s something we address every day,” Phillips said. “It’s certainly something we are working towards so we don’t have gender issues, and it’s a part of making this campus equal.”

Naples said when she presented the issue in 2006 to the Board of Trustees, the members were very alarmed and concerned, but nothing was done.

“I intend to go back to the Board of Trustees at the appropriate time… but what I actually have is the smoking gun that beyond the shadow of a doubt proves that there is sex discrimination in salaries at NIU,” Naples said.

Faculty Senate President Greg Long said the administration is concerned about faculty compensation.

“Actions speak louder than words,” Naples said. “I am not satisfied with the [NIU] administration’s response to these salary issues.”