> Faculty got a $7,000 stipend to "set up a home office". Staff got ... nothing.
That's a very unusual university. I have never heard of such a thing. During covid, it was common for faculty to take large pay cuts, but not staff. The $7000 you mention is less than my pay was cut. Staff were unaffected.
> They just try to tell Finance "just pay the bill, thanks".
I don't believe this if you are talking about a US university. That's just not how it works.
> And then audits find faculty paying for flights for their partners on the university card... or first class upgrades... or very liquid lunches.
That's why there's no such thing as "just pay the bill, thanks". They don't pay without knowing what it's for. First and foremost, they have to confirm it's legal. After that, they have to confirm they're in compliance with tax laws. I'm not even getting into state laws if it's a public university and all the other potential problems. Paying a bill without knowing what it's for would simply never, ever happen at a US university.
Without outing her university, I will add the (possible) caveat of "private Catholic university".
> During covid, it was common for faculty to take large pay cuts, but not staff.
The only real benefit to staff during COVID's early days was in the (where else) athletics department (and this is very much not a sports school), where all the coaching and related staff were kept on at full pay, and only "required" on their own recognizance to "spend time keeping up with relevant information in your field".
> That's why there's no such thing as "just pay the bill, thanks". They don't pay without knowing what it's for.
The various schools thought process is "We (the school) knows the bill details, supervisor signed off, so, Finance just needs the sum total and to send payment".
That's a very unusual university. I have never heard of such a thing. During covid, it was common for faculty to take large pay cuts, but not staff. The $7000 you mention is less than my pay was cut. Staff were unaffected.
> They just try to tell Finance "just pay the bill, thanks".
I don't believe this if you are talking about a US university. That's just not how it works.
> And then audits find faculty paying for flights for their partners on the university card... or first class upgrades... or very liquid lunches.
That's why there's no such thing as "just pay the bill, thanks". They don't pay without knowing what it's for. First and foremost, they have to confirm it's legal. After that, they have to confirm they're in compliance with tax laws. I'm not even getting into state laws if it's a public university and all the other potential problems. Paying a bill without knowing what it's for would simply never, ever happen at a US university.