Stan Geiger

It's OU's Turn

Oklahoma State announced its 10 percent tuition hike, so it is no surprise to hear that OU is set to announce the same.

From Okie Campaigns:

Tuition hikes of nearly 10% will be considered this week for students at the University of Oklahoma, Rogers State University in Claremore and Cameron University in Lawton.

OU regents govern all three schools and will begin their annual retreat in Ardmore tomorrow. They will consider business items from Rogers State and Cameron tomorrow, with OU business set for Wednesday.

Regents will consider raising rates for OU's tuition and mandatory fees by 9.9%. Rogers State students also could face a 9.9% hike, while Cameron officials have requested a 9.4% tuition and fee increase.

Other items on the agenda include potential raises for OU athletic director Joe Castiglione, football coach Bob Stoops, men's basketball coach Jeff Capel, women's basketball coach Sherri Coale, baseball coach Sunny Golloway and softball coach Patty Gasso.

OU President David Boren also is set to receive his annual performance review, during which he could be offered a raise.

Annual retreat in Ardmore. Gee, I wonder who pays for that.

That point aside, this report is telling of the abomination state-funded higher education has become. Students get hit with a huge tuition hike why? Well, so millionaires can have pay raises, of course.

I don't know what Golloway and Gasso make, but it's safe to assume they are both pulling down six figures.

Castiglione was recently given a raise, and makes well over $200k already.

Sherri Coale was recently given a healthy raise of a quarter of a million per year, which pushed her salary to $800k. As I recall, Boren lied to justify that raise. The University of Texas was courting the coach, trying to steal her away, he claimed. Texas issued an immediate comment in response that said the school hadn't so much as talked to Coale and had no interest at all in hiring her.

Jeff Capel, just months ago, was given a stout raise. He was given a new contract that pays him over $1 million per year and a $600k bonus payable after 6 years.

Bob Stoops was given a $50k raise last year, pushing his annual salary to a staggering $2.55 million per year. He also gets a $3 million bonus come December 31st.

Boren is reportedly making $364k per year. And that salary is magnified by the fact that he doesn't have to spend it. He gets a free house, a free car and a free everything else.

Big fat tuition hike for students that can't afford it; big fat raises for educators that don't need them. There's something terribly wrong with the picture, wouldn't you say?

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