Spring Break
Students rally around 'double-dipping' professor
Lidia Ryan
Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: News
Dick Kochanek is one of the most popular professors among business students. So, when the Hartford Courant wrote a story claiming that he is overpaid, students rallied to support Kochanek by making T-shirts with his name and face on them.
The article, which appeared in the Hartford Courant in February, said that Kochanek is "double dipping" because he receives a large pension, since he is retired, on top of getting generous pay for the courses he teaches.
The T-shirts are being sold next week to raise money for the Business School's senior class gift. This is the first year that an individual school is giving its own senior class gift.
The School of Fine Arts is also giving one, according to 8th-semester marketing major Jessica Williams, who designed the T-shirts and is in charge of the sale.
After the article came out, a friend suggested to Williams that she design the T-shirts because having Kochanek as a professor is something most business students have in common, she said.
Kochanek's Introduction to Financial Accounting, Accounting 2001, is a general education requirement for all students in the School of Business.
"It's a two-fold thing," Williams said. "It's a commonality between us as well as support for him."
Kochanek said that what made him upset about the article was that the Hartford Courant did not speak with him.
"We write things about people, but we don't know who they are," Kochanek said.
However, Kochanek has a positive attitude toward the situation.
"I'm at a point in my life where I'm confident in myself," he said. "I can read something about myself and know it's just not true."
Kochanek said that when he was approached about the T-shirt idea, he was happy to help in any way he could.
"It's kind of wonderful that so many people would do this," he said.
Kochanek said he plans on buying T-shirts for himself and for his children.
Erik Muschette, an 8th-semester communications major and member of the senior class gift committee, helped in the creation of the shirts because he wanted to support Kochanek and help make him feel better about the article.
The article, which appeared in the Hartford Courant in February, said that Kochanek is "double dipping" because he receives a large pension, since he is retired, on top of getting generous pay for the courses he teaches.
The T-shirts are being sold next week to raise money for the Business School's senior class gift. This is the first year that an individual school is giving its own senior class gift.
The School of Fine Arts is also giving one, according to 8th-semester marketing major Jessica Williams, who designed the T-shirts and is in charge of the sale.
After the article came out, a friend suggested to Williams that she design the T-shirts because having Kochanek as a professor is something most business students have in common, she said.
Kochanek's Introduction to Financial Accounting, Accounting 2001, is a general education requirement for all students in the School of Business.
"It's a two-fold thing," Williams said. "It's a commonality between us as well as support for him."
Kochanek said that what made him upset about the article was that the Hartford Courant did not speak with him.
"We write things about people, but we don't know who they are," Kochanek said.
However, Kochanek has a positive attitude toward the situation.
"I'm at a point in my life where I'm confident in myself," he said. "I can read something about myself and know it's just not true."
Kochanek said that when he was approached about the T-shirt idea, he was happy to help in any way he could.
"It's kind of wonderful that so many people would do this," he said.
Kochanek said he plans on buying T-shirts for himself and for his children.
Erik Muschette, an 8th-semester communications major and member of the senior class gift committee, helped in the creation of the shirts because he wanted to support Kochanek and help make him feel better about the article.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Laurie dorn
posted 4/10/09 @ 9:20 AM EST
I think it's great that retirees can help out and earn some money doing so. I remember this professor, he taught my accounting class in 1977 and he was terrific. (Continued…)
Sam
posted 4/10/09 @ 10:19 AM EST
The guy may teach whatever he wants but not for 75K per course plus a pension. The standard rate for a course
taught by an adjunct instructor is around 5K. (Continued…)
70-447
posted 7/20/09 @ 7:44 AM EST
Suppose that in a course you are teaching on the presidency during the spring semester, a student seeks your permission to submit, for full credit, a paper on the veto power for which or she already received credit in a course on Congress during the fall semester, or perhaps a somewhat reworked version of that paper. (Continued…)
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