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Monday, October 27, 1997

UT pays staff below average Austin wages

AUSTIN (AP) - A study has found that 94 percent of University of Texas secretaries, computer technicians, librarians and other nonteaching employees are paid below average for the Austin market.

That means just 380 of 6,281 employees surveyed were making the same or more than those in similar jobs outside UT.

Even for officials, the results were an eye-opener.

"I knew it was bad, but I hadn't figured it up," Sandy Moreno-Haire, UT assistant vice president and human resources director, said after hearing the findings. "That's awful."

Since Buck Consultants of St. Louis took the salary snapshot in April, workers have received a $100-a-month raise from the Legislature, and selected workers got even more. As a result, fewer employees might be in the below-average pay category.

"I advise students who make more money starting in their careers than I make after 25 years of experience and a master's degree," said Sue Gamel, a senior academic adviser of students. "It's frustrating."

The math, physics and astronomy students she advises often start jobs that pay $35,000 a year, she told the Austin American-Statesman. That's more than most student advisers make, including Gamel.

UT officials said they hired W.F. Corroon, now owned by Buck Consultants, to study where the university stood on staff salaries.

Work began almost two years ago, and rumors spread across campus this spring that officials were covering up the results because the news was bad.

Ed Sharpe, UT vice president for administration and public affairs, said there was no cover-up. The survey wasn't completed until summer because it was more time-consuming than expected, he said. UT released the survey to the Austin American-Statesman after an open-records request.

UT officials are creating a blue-ribbon committee of experts from the business school, at least one staff representative and others to recommend what to do next.

Faculty salaries, which were not examined, also lag behind those at peer universities, but some professors said earlier this year they were more concerned about staff pay.Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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