A statement from the Associated Students of Colorado State University’s Office of the President replied to recent criticism regarding a pay raise given to members of the executive cabinet.

According to the statement, the Taylor-Schindler administration decided to increase the pay of ASCSU cabinet members by 6% for several reasons. 

“Due to a shortened term, cabinet members’ stipends were reduced by several pay periods,” the statement said. “Even though the Taylor-Schindler administration has a shortened term, the expectations for cabinet members’ projects and accomplishments are the same as previous administrations with a full year.”

The statement said that cabinet members are exempt stipend employees, which means they are paid for the work they do, and not the work they do per hour. 

“As the cabinet has been assigned a year’s worth of work in eight months, we believe they deserved increased compensation for their work,” the statement said. 

The statement also clarified that the increase only used funds that were already allocated to cabinet positions. The funds were not moved from other areas in the budget, and members of the cabinet aren’t receiving their total stipend due to the shortened term. 

The statement also said members were given increased pay to align with the increased cost of living and increased minimum wage; according to the statement, Colorado’s minimum wage has increased from $8.31 to $12.32 from 2017 to 2021. Colorado’s minimum wage history states that the wage was $8.32 in 2016, $9.30 in 2017 and is $12.32 this year. However, the increases did not occur for ASCSU positions, according to the statement.

“The Taylor-Schindler administration views equitable pay as crucial and opposes work without proper compensation,” the statement said. 

The statement also explained that the Office of the President went through the checks and balances process to go through with the pay raise. According to the statement, ASCSU President Hannah Taylor “submitted a court opinion request to clarify the president’s powers on increasing pay that was allocated in a senate-approved budget.” 

The statement said that the Supreme Court ruled that the president has the power to change the pay of members as long as it does not change the job description tasks and that the money had already been allocated in the payroll section of the budget.

According to the statement, there were already funds allocated in payroll discretionary and rollover funds for each cabinet position. This came because of decreased compensation for the shortened term year. 

The statement also clarified that Supreme Court Chief Justice Peyton Dailey and Deputy Chief Justice Brandon Avers did not participate in the vote that allowed the pay increase due to a conflict of interest, as both are members of the cabinet. 

“There are rollover funds for senate leadership as well,” the statement said. “The Office of the President supports members of the legislative branch leadership team doing the same and believes it would be best for all paid members of ASCSU.” 

Ceci Taylor can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @cecelia_twt.