The University of Texas, El Paso gave $1200 bonuses to its staff and faculty as thanks for their hard work during the pandemic.
The President, Heather Wilson, announced the one-time payment via email.
The payments were released on Feb.15 to the faculty and staff members that were eligible to receive the payment and have been employed as of Aug.1, 2021. This didn’t include some part-time employees as well as certain adjunct professors.
A Reward for the Continous Dedication of the Staff, Stated the President
The email included the announcement for the bonus, as well as encouraging and motivating words by the President.
She praised the staff and faculty members for their continuous dedication to teaching and improving knowledge, but also for working so hard to make sure all the students are advised and registered for classes.
Because of their efforts, UTEP will be close to the expected enrollment number for the current semester. Since the beginning of the pandemic, enrollment at UTEP has lowered after two decades of growth.
Wilson also emphasized that extra funding will become available because of the reduced expenditures of the department, mostly a result of the pandemic-associated restrictions to travel.
What Does the Staff & Faculty Think of the Bonus?
A professor of communication at the University, Yannick Atouba, notes that he’s grateful that they got this surprise payment, but recognizes it’s not a rise in pay but rather a gift and appreciation.
He was quite happy when he saw the email, but once he saw it was a one-time thing, he was like ‘oh’.
He’s been employed with UTEP as of 2014 and his last pay increase happened two years ago. Since then, he claims he hasn’t gotten any word from his department about another rise.
He’s aware that the pandemic caused certain issues; however, he’s more worried about the low communication about these aspects. It’s not cool because it could easily go on for many years and the employees will be confused why no one is talking about it.
Moreover, Diana Martinez who’s an adjunct professor of history and humanities at UTEP as of 2010 said that this bonus would’ve been great for employees with lower income such as the adjunct faculty. However, as she’s not eligible for the benefits, she didn’t get any bonus.
Martinez points out that plenty of them are trying to recover from the pandemic (financially) from the period when they lived paycheck to paycheck, without benefits, prior to the pandemic. She emphasizes that there’s equality and then there’s equity.
This bonus is the first given under the tenure of Wilson who assumed the presidency back in 2019, August.
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