By: Isabella Bercan
Across the nation household budgets have been subjected to inflationary pressures; Dominican faculty and staff are finding themselves facing these increasing costs without a raise or cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
The lack of salary progression mixed with these soaring living expenses is creating strain for the faculty teaching the students and staff supporting our students. The 2026-2027 tuition cost without housing, meal plans, etc. is set at $40,948 a year and while we navigate paying to attend Dominican as the world around us becomes harder to afford, our faculty and staff are navigating their own stagnant pay.
Chief Financial Officer Mark Titzer explained the budget process involves, “…balancing the tuition and fee revenues from students, donations from donors, and other smaller revenues, with the compensation and benefits expenses for faculty and staff and other smaller operating costs.”
Despite these efforts, faculty and staff remain concerned about how they will continue to afford the rising cost of living with their current salaries.
At a University Assembly, Psychology professor Dr. Tracy Caldwell had voiced her concerns to the administration.
“…every time I go to University Assembly, I’m waiting for some mention of where the progress is towards getting a cost-of-living raise. And for the past couple of years…there hasn’t been an upgrade. One grows weary of not hearing anything about whether it’s even on their radar. And so, I asked what has to happen for there to be a raise?” Caldwell stated.
“I think what I wanted to accomplish was not only to find information in that moment, but to also just say out loud we’re not happy about this… I just wish I knew that our administration prioritized faculty and staff wellness.” She explained.
Curious if it was on the administration’s radar, Titzer confirmed that it is a main topic in internal conversations at Dominican.
“…faculty and staff compensation and benefits expenses are the largest portion of our operating budget and therefore the most discussed items within each year’s operating budget,” Titzer stated. “This includes the number of faculty and staff positions, the compensation for each position, and the fringe benefit rates for full-time faculty and staff.”
Despite her frustrations on the lack of a raise, Caldwell points towards external funding losses as part of the larger crisis,
“…we were very dependent on federal funds from the Department of Education, and I believe the National Science Foundation. And so, we’ve had millions of dollars taken away from us. And so, I feel for the administration, and I’m angry.”
While faculty like Caldwell must manage the pressures of teaching in a tough economic climate, these pressures are felt among staff members at Dominican too.
Samina Hadi-Tabassum, the Head of the Staff Council, explained that the university is currently on a “hiring freeze”, “…now I’ve got more responsibilities…I think that is really the number one thing that’s affecting staff. There are some staff here who have a master’s degree and are making $40,000. That just doesn’t add up because their levels of education don’t match the salary that they’re getting.”
“We no longer get our COLA (cost of living adjustments). That is a point of contention, right? I’m getting the same salary as I did last year. I’m not getting any kind of increase in my salary. It costs a lot; the living expenses are going up, but my salary is the same. People are calling this deceleration of the economy, deceleration of salaries.” Tabassum explained.
Dominican is also changing the medical plans they can offer because they can no longer afford their traditional PPO plan, now switching over to HMO.
“…they covered 80% of the cost, and the employees covered 20%. So instead, they’re moving towards an HMO, and HMO is great because it’s cheaper. I cannot get an HMO.” She stated.
For her, she has two teenagers who are prone to hurting themselves from extracurriculars, and she has a daughter on her insurance who lives in California. An HMO would not cover out-of-state care, and that plan would take longer for her family and her to be seen by a physician. Tabassum went on to explain, “I’m not going to wait and call to hear from my primary care doctor. I have a PPO that means that I can go see anyone at any time as long as they’re in my network. It’s much more expensive.
Each faculty/staff member has a different reality at Dominican. Some do not need to make as much money because they have a significant other and they can support one another, but some people may be single parents or supporting a sick family member.
“…so we all have these individual stories as to whether the amount of money we make is sufficient or not, is it adequate?” Tabassum stated.
Despite these issues she went on to explain everyone has their reason for working at Dominican and for many the social justice mission of our university is a big one.
“It’s a good place to work…they [faculty & staff] feel validated. They feel like they’re valued. When I work with students all day, I think I’ve made an impact. So, I have job satisfaction.”
Ideally, everyone would get a raise or bonus, Tabassum shared, “…sure, I can give everybody a bonus, but we’re going to dig a hole, and we may not be here after 10 to 15 years. Glena Temple’s job is to make sure we’re here for much longer than that, right? And that means you’re not going to get it. You have to make decisions. Do I stay at Dominican? Or do I leave?”
Across campus, the decision can grow heavier as each semester passes us by. Though speaking up at the University Assembly, faculty and staff showcased open communication could be the first step in working through this issue together.
“I haven’t heard anyone say that publicly to them… it seemed like somebody needed to just say it out loud,” Caldwell said.
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