While many wonder if the 2020 college football season will start on time, certain people in the Notre Dame Athletics Department will be paid a little less in order to help certain university students. Notre Dame’s president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., announced Monday that the university’s senior leaders will cut their salaries by as much as 20 percent. The resulting savings will be deposited into the Student Emergency Relief Fund, which will assist students with families suffering from unemployment and other hardships that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among those who were asked to reduce their salaries were the leaders in the Athletics Department as well as certain coaches. The salaries are being reduced on a sliding scale of 5 to 20 percent for those who have the highest compensation. Also involved in the reductions are the deans, the vice presidents and the university’s three executive officers.
It’s a small price to pay to lend a hand to the student population, but it’s a necessary one. Those still pursuing their education but struggling to pay for it are a bigger priority right now than when action will return to Notre Dame Stadium. We’re all in this together, and the university’s most influential officials, including Athletics Department leaders, recognize that.