Although the governor's proposed increase will not close the gap, Travis Lenkner, Student Senate Governmental Relations chair, said he thinks the increase will be a step in the right direction. He said one reason low faculty salaries has continued to be a problem is that some members of the Kansas legislature and Kansans don't understand the impact of low salaries on state schools. Gray said he agreed that legislators might not realize the importance of raising salaries. Sometimes people think faculty members just want more money for ourselves. When we don't pay as much as other states, we lose our best faculty, researchers and scientists.
Students suffer when they leave.
Lenkner and Gray said they agree the increase is necessary, but for now it is only a proposal. For K-State faculty to get the raise, it must be approved by the Kansas Legislature. Gray said faculty leaders will visit the legislature next week to stress the salary increase's importance. Lenkner said the governmental relations committee is planning to send students to the capitol to lobby for the same thing and other student concerns. He said he thinks the faculty raise has a good shot at passing.