Opinion: Johnson's raise "absurd" and "appalling"

Bricker Hall, which houses university administration offices, including that of President Kristina M. Johnson. Tom Hanks/Staff

On Aug. 19, The Lantern reported that University President Kristina M. Johnson is being awarded a performance bonus and salary increase. 

According to Ohio State’s salaries and earning database, Johnson currently earns a base salary of $900,000, and with the bonus and 3 percent raise, she will be earning over $1 million. 

As a minority student who is only attending Ohio State because of the Young Scholars Program, I have several issues with Johnson’s salary. 

To me, it is unfathomable that Ohio State’s president earns more than the President of the United States.

Ohio State’s Board of Trustees could have put that money to better use – whether that is increasing the starting student salary from $8.80, or even increased funding to programs on campus that could use the money.

In 2018, The Lantern also reported that the number of low-income students attending Ohio State had declined.

This could relate to the reality that the median family income of an Ohio State student is $104,100 and 46 percent come from the top 20 percent of earners. Only 5 percent of the university’s students are from the bottom 20 percent. 

Students like myself depend on programs like the Young Scholars Program, the Morrill Scholarship Program, and scholarships from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to attend this university.   

Students are receiving reduced grants from the government while the university’s tuition continues to increase, meanwhile 36% of all undergraduate students at Ohio State are utilizing federal student aid to pay for their college education.

What happened to “Together as Buckeyes?”