In the last Board of Regents meeting, the board made two tough decisions.

In the same breath that the board members approved the final budget cuts, they gave two university presidents a pay raise.

University of Iowa President Mary Sue Coleman and University of Northern Iowa President Robert Koob both received a 16.8 percent increase in pay.

So, while the average university professor will receive a less than 5 percent pay increase, Coleman received an extra $40,000.

Since that meeting, both Coleman and Koob have announced they are giving their pay raise back to their respective universities.

So what about Geoffroy’s money?

We realize that President Gregory Geoffroy is receiving 16.8 percent more than former president Martin Jischke did to do the same job. But we are not going to hold that against him. We understand that being competitive in salaries is important when looking for quality president candidates.

Besides, Geoffroy is already making plans for his first donation to Iowa State. In the past, he and his wife made contributions to the University of Maryland and Penn State University.

So while it’s great that the university presidents are donating their wage increases, it leads one to wonder why they have a pay increase in the first place?

At this time of saving and cutting of budgets, it makes no sense that the Regents would give the presidents a salary increase.

While the Regents worked hard to make the proper budget cuts, they seemed to have been wasteful and careless when it came time to approve these salary increases. Why would the Regents not think about the problems? Is a 17 percent increase a wise choice during economical hardships?

The Regents need to remember the budget cuts should affect everyone, including the university presidents.

editorialboard: Michelle Kann, Tim Paluch, Zach Calef, Ruth Hitchcock, Cavan Reagan