My post wasn't in response to anything you said in particular, just the "flavor" of the thread in general. Sure, let's try to raise 1st year pay along with pay for everyone else. If some "great people" don't want to work here because they find 1st year pay insulting, their loss. Where do people get the impression that some group (potential new hires) is "owed" something before they have done the work necessary to "earn" it.