The Iowa State Daily would like to provide some additional context to some of the claims made in the letter to the editor titled, “Addressing the debt bubble” published in our print edition on Monday, Feb. 25.

Claim: President Wintersteen’s annual base salary will be almost $600k after three years at the university. 

Context: When stepping into her role, Wintersteen’s annual base salary was set at $525,000. Her first-year salary is the same as former Iowa State President Steven Leath upon his resignation. By her third year, Wintersteen’s salary will increase to $590,000.

Claim: Additionally, she will receive close to half a million in deferred compensation over a five-year period while also having a home and car provided for her.

Context: Once completing the first three years of her five-year contract, Wintersteen will receive $475,000 in deferred compensation. When Leath started, he received $75,000 in deferred compensation each year for his first three years.

Claim: Other faculty (specifically deans and tenured professors) across the university are paid well above $200,000 and $300,000+ a year.

Context: In 2017, 44 faculty members resigned — up 24 from the previous year. That year, there was a campus pay freeze. According to Board of Regent documents, a survey taken upon leaving noted that 44 percent of faculty members said they’d be earning “much higher” pay.

Claim: 

The library is a great resource to thousands of students each day but I would argue that a vast majority of them have not been complaining about the building needing to be redone particularly when others buildings are in much greater need of updates.

Context: Iowa State has more than $436 million in deferred maintenance that it needs to attend to.

Claim: 

Another point of concern for me is redundant programs such as the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, the Multicultural center and the Margaret Sloss Center for Women and Gender Equity.

Context: Iowa State collected data on the university’s diversity programs and resources about five years ago and found that one of the leading recommendations was for a chief diversity or inclusion officer on campus thus creating the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Claim: My last concern is with the athletic program spending. I am an avid sports fan but the spending for our athletic programs is out of hand.

Context: Iowa State was ranked as the second lowest spender in the Big 12 Conference during the 2016-17 academic year, according to the NCAA.