Dianne Harrison gets a 20 percent salary increase

True, the salary increase that was approved for her new position as president of CSU Northdrige was only of 10 percent -- to be paid for with private money.

So as president of CSU Northridge, Dianne Harrison will make $324,500, 10 percent more than her predecessor, who earned $295,000.

But when you take into consideration that Harrison was earning $270,315 at Cal State Monterey Bay, it's really a 20 percent salary increase she's getting.

Harrison and two other CSU incoming presidents are slated to earn 10 percent more than their predecessors, something that's not sitting well with many, even though the money will come from private sources.

When I interviewed Harrison before she left, she said the salary presidents earn has to be competitive -- not just in California, but nationwide. And when compared with other presidents in other states -- such as Gordon Gee at Ohio State-- $325,000 doesn't seem that extravagant.

Harrison also told me her salary should not be considered an increase from her current job, but from the position she was taking on. After all, the size of the student population at CSUN is almost four times that of CSUMB. There's got to be a lot more meetings at that university.

Plus, she said all this talk about salaries -- a miniscule portion of the budget -- is just distracting.

I'll give her that last point. When you consider the total expenditures of the university system, complaining about presidential salaries doesn't seem worth the effort.

But we can't ignore how wrong it feels to see these people keep making more and more money, when the rest of us have to endure furloughs and pay cuts. When students have to keep paying more and more, when financial aid is being cut and classes eliminated. Financially it may not mean much but symbolically it says a lot, and that's what infuriates people.