With President Thomas Fallo deciding to withdraw the potential of his receiving a 13.4 annual percent pay increase, a $2,450 monthly stipend and a $550 monthly transportation allowance, there is indeed a sigh of relief among students and faculty.

It must be mentioned that President Fallo said and did the right thing.

Some may say that he denied the raise because he didn’t want to incite a riot among faculty, staff and students. However, he publicly acknowledged that the idea of a pay raise is unnecessary at a time like this.

The real call to arms, however, came from the voice of the campus community. In a decisive swoop, like an infuriated flock of birds, the campus voiced their outrage at the projected salary increase and protested the board of trustees’ proposal.

Almost everyone in the campus community is sore from the effect of the budget cuts and the hypothetical salary raise caused a rippling reaction of dropping jaws and disbelief.

The increase in pay was said to have been compensation for Fallo’s work at El Camino College Compton Center, of which he was said to be the only one not being paid for his work. However, he agreed to do the work without reward.

Some believe that Fallo is using the threat of leaving as an excuse for a raise.

However, Fallo said during the board meeting Monday that the focus of a raise is taking away from EC goals, which are accreditation, excellence and student success.This was the right thing to say to alleviate the outcry from students and faculty.

We, as a campus, have to take into account that Fallo is not being compensated for his additional responsibilities associated with the Compton Center and the board of trustees is nervous about losing Fallo.

Fallo earns $301,000, which is approximately $108,000 more than the average salary of a single-college CEO.

It is safe to say that Fallo is being appropriately compensated for his work at the Compton Center considering his annual salary is that much more than the average superintendent.

The timing of this proposal isn’t necessarily felicitious considering the state budget woes. In fact, no president of a public institution throughout California is receiving a pay increase.

This alleged pay raise is also reminiscent of the news about AIG’s $165 million bonuses. Not to compare the fiasco with AIG to Fallo’s proposed pay raise, but the public mind is still tinged with righteousness and outrage.

Fallo is right, the current focus of EC and the board of trustees should be about the students who are struggling to get the classes they need, as well as pay for other expenses. It should also be about the faculty and staff who are not receiving any bonuses themselves and who were told by Fallo that they were not to receive any bonuses.

It is reasonable for someone living in a time of economic hardship to want money they believe they are entitled to for their extra work, but not when that person is already making much more than an average person in their position would be making.

It was rather thoughtless for the issue of a pay raise to even have been discussed. The less provoking thing to do would have been to decline the raise in the first place instead of kicking up a hornet’s nest.

Fallo has asked for and been granted raises in the past, all of which took place in better economic times.

Raises should never be on their agenda in times of crisis and when the college is suffering.

Focus should always be placed on the benefit of the college and what can be done to help it before helping themselves.

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