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CSU Board Approves New Policy To Fund Executive Raises

LONG BEACH (CBS) — The California State University board of trustees has approved a plan to ask campus foundations to pay for raises of up to 10 percent for incoming campus presidents.

The plan calls for money to be pulled from non-profit auxiliary groups for the presidents, who currently make between $250,000 to $350,000 a year and also receive free housing or a housing stipend.

Despite the cut in state funding, presidents will receive a 10 percent pay increase, which critics, including the California Faculty Association, say is inappropriate when teachers and faculty haven't received raises in three years and students are being subjected to tuition hikes.

Trustees, however, say the raises are necessary for the system to remain competitive, as six universities are currently searching for new presidents.

CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed, who was the subject of an exclusive report by CBS2/KCAL9 Investigative Reporter David Goldstein earlier this week, got an earful from outraged students as he threw a pricey party Tuesday night.

Assisted by an ear-splitting bullhorn siren, dozens of students made their presence known outside his Long Beach home.

"Reed, Reed, stop the greed! Give the students what they need!" they chanted.

Many of the Cal State leaders who attended the dinner, including trustee members and some university presidents, were greeted at the sidewalk outside Reed's house by the protestors. Reed, who greeted them at the door, kept his distance.

One Cal State Trustee, Steven Glazer, senior adviser to Governor Jerry Brown, walked out to talk with the student protestors.

"How can you possibly justify getting housing and car allowances when you're making six figures and you're telling your students, that are starving and getting put out on the street, that they're not allowed to get classes and that they can't fight and that they can't eat?" a protestor asked Glazer.

"I voted against all the pay increases for the university presidents over the past year. And I was happy that today, as a board policy, we have now frozen presidential salaries," Glazer said to the crowd.

Meanwhile, the CFA has announced that the 24,000 CSU employees it represents have voted to authorize a strike.

The union, which has been negotiating contracts with CSU leaders for 22 months, will now decide whether to implement two-day rolling strikes on all 23 CSU campuses.

The strikes would be the largest among faculty in the history of the United States.

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