The Service Employees International Union Local 509 ran a billboard campaign on Boston University’s campus Friday afternoon, hoping the campaign will help them to negotiate a fair contracts for part-time lecturers and non-tenure track faculty, according to a press release issued by the organization.
SEIU Local 509 activists drove a truck across campus featuring the billboard, stopping periodically for current and prospective students to observe.
The billboard read “Boston University: Where is the money going?” and claimed administrative growth has been 107 percent as opposed to 13 percent for faculty.
The billboard also claimed BU President Robert Brown was Massachusetts’ highest-paid university president in 2014.
Colin Riley, spokesperson for BU, said the statistics regarding administrative pay were untrue but confirmed President Brown’s high level of pay in 2014.
“I don’t mind people promoting their causes, but when you’re talking about the serious issue of financial assistance and affordability and accessibility, those are real concerns the university has as well,” Riley said.
Christie Stephenson, spokesperson for the SEIU, wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that the billboards were a high-visibility way for the organization to get its message out there.
“The message is meant to pressure the administration to invest in its part-time and full-time lecturers, and to encourage students to join our fight for a fair contract,” Stephenson wrote in the email.
Stephenson wrote that over two-thirds of BU’s faculty are part-time or non-tenure track, and these employees face low pay and job insecurity.
“BU’s continued administrative growth and lack of investment in faculty is part of a growing, nationwide crisis in higher education — and a trend toward a marginalized teaching faculty that endangers the profession and students’ learning experience,” Stephenson wrote.
Stephenson wrote in the email that the billboards offer a direct call to action for students to contact President Brown and ask him to invest in non-tenure track faculty.
“We’re asking students to remind the administration to put their investments where their values are: teaching and learning, not ballooning administrative costs,” Stephenson wrote.
Riley said in the case of past protests, such as those targeting tuition increases at BU, the University has met with student groups to explain the University’s decisions and settle disputes.
“I would encourage the individuals who are motivated to put a billboard up … to come speak to the financial assistance office,” Riley said.
Till Kaeslin contributed to the reporting of this article.
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this article, we stated that the percentages on the billboards show proportions instead of growth. We regret making the mistake.
