Today VP of Finance and Admin, Stacy Pearson, circulated a letter concerning budget stress due to COVID 19 and subsequent budget priorities. It seems unbelievable that during this crisis WSU administration elected to shift $2,000,000 from student revenue to support the football program. Then our new football coach, the highest paid state employee at about $3,200,000 annually, broadcast to the nation that he did not intend to get vaccinated for personal reasons — a statement clearly contrary to the best interests of WSU. Perhaps the faculty senate could encourage the administration to (1) revisit the football budget in light of recent developments, and (2) explore details of the head coach’s employment contract to determine if termination or other administrative action is possible. If WSU can terminate or demote a provost after only six weeks, surely we can do the same with a football coach, especially with an eye toward recouping the head coach’s obscene salary.
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The Faculty Senate Executive Committee appreciates input and concerns raised by faculty. We regularly forward all Constituent Concerns to the Central Administration and seek answers for the issues raised. In the specific case of COVID-19, we invite you to read Doug Call’s August 27 entry on the Senate Blog (link: https://facsen.wsu.edu/2021/08/27/provosts-office-response-to-faculty-senate-concerns/) that relays details from the Provost’s Office concerning the response to COVID regarding instruction. Many thanks for contributing to the dialogue concerning this critical issue facing the WSU community.