Spectrum - Volume 18 Issue 30 May 2, 1996 - To the Editor:

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

To the Editor:

Spectrum Volume 18 Issue 30 - May 2, 1996

I am puzzled. In all the discourse and explanations in reference to the pay schedule manipulations associated with the pay increases for the faculty and staff, one group seems to have been totally overlooked.

The group consists of the research faculty and staff members who are paid from third-party grant funds. They too will only receive 23 paychecks instead of 24. However, those 23 checks will not be any bigger than they would have been without the so-called pay raise. They will actually suffer a pay loss of 4.17 percent for 1997, even though grant funds will not have been cut.

Eventually, they will get this pay back when they retire or terminate, but that seems poor consolation when their bills for housing, utilities, and food will not be postponed. The year 1997 will still have 12 months whether or not the State of Virginia pretends it will only have 11-and-a-half.

Sincerely yours,
Joel Donahue
Bradley Ph.D. fellow
Department of Electrical Engineering

Dear Editor:

The University Print Shop just completed a large job for me, at low cost and in record time. This reminds me that I owe them a great deal of gratitude for countless low-cost, quick, and well-done jobs over the past 12 years. For nine of those years, the print shop completed a 12,000-copy, eight-page job for me every month. That's 108 editions of that publication alone, plus numerous other publications of all shapes and sizes, all done with efficiency, skill, and grace under pressure.

My point is that Virginia Tech is unusually fortunate to have such a good printing service. We who are in charge of publications at this university are additionally lucky to be able to deal with printing staff which is exceptionally professional, friendly, and accommodating.

Long may they wave.

Sincerely,
Liz Crumbley
College of Engineering