Scout has been talking a lot about exercise lately.

Scout could always stand to lose a few pounds. And so could probably everyone else.

But The Daily Illini's coverage of the state's budget crisis got Scout thinking about this whole "trimming fat" issue.

The governor wants everyone to tighten their belts. And Scout thinks that has ended up squeezing education here.

But why? Scout has been hearing a lot of people sound off in The Daily Illini, but Scout isn't sure who to believe.

Has all the fat been trimmed from the University?

So Scout did a little digging.

But before Scout goes further, Scout must make a couple disclaimers.

If a few people put two and two together, they might know who Scout is, because Scout had to reveal Scout's self in order to get a document. Scout would really appreciate it if these nice people didn't blab about Scout's mild-mannered alter ego.

Also, Scout understands that the web of finances at any big operation — and the University is a pretty big one — is indeed tangled. So Scout wants the public to understand that the University does, for the most part, work hard to provide a good education to Scout.

That said, Scout found some pretty staggering figures in a big gray book. This book, presented to the Board of Trustees last Thursday, contains the salaries of everyone on the University's payroll.

Scout thinks these public servants should have no reason to hide how much they are paid to do their jobs.

Following the money

Chancellor Nancy Cantor tops Scout's list. She makes $324,000 a year. That's a pretty penny for a job that involves a lot of speeches and telling people to play nice.

Next is University President James Stukel. He makes $335,000, apparently for his vision (see http://www.uillinois.edu/president/biography/). Scout's not sure what else the job entails.

Peter Siegel, the campus' chief information officer, runs the computer show for $205,000. Over at the National Center for Super Computing Applications, executive director Danny Powell pulls in $200,000 and director Dan Reed makes a neat $209,894.

That's a lot of money for computers.

Provost Richard Herman is responsible for all things academic and makes $250,000. He was also responsible for making the budget cuts to all things academic this year.

Steve Rugg, University-wide vice president for administration, also gets $250,000. Scout guesses he administrates administrators.

Richard Wilson, associate chancellor for development, makes $204,000. Scout understands Wilson's office is paid to do a lot of planning for the future, so other people can be paid to do work.

And some of Scout's personal favorites — men's basketball coach Bruce Weber was bought for $500,000 and football coach Ron Turner makes another $460,000. Athletic director Ron Guenther gets $310,000.

But we still miss field goals and free throws.

Scout gave up looking for more pricey people paid with state dollars. The book Scout looked at in the plush administrator-style office was pretty thick and had small type.

But Scout found dozens of other people titled associate-this and vice-that making six figures. Scout even found a secretary pulling in $157,500.

Now Scout isn't trying to imply that these people aren't doing their jobs. Scout just thinks they get paid too much.

Scout would also like to help Scout's readers do some math. The combined salaries listed add up to more than $2.6 million.

Meanwhile, Scout's favorite professor — who has won nearly every teaching award possible in his curriculum and campus-wide — only makes $70,250. And Carl Woese, the microbiology professor who won his field's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, makes only $176,355, distinctly less than Nancy the Chancellor and even Rugg the Administrator.

Scout needs exercise to trim Scout's waste-line. Maybe the University should do the same.

Campus Scout is a regular news commentary that appears on Wednesdays. Campus Scout can be reached at scoutingUI@hotmail.com.