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"The Full Hundred" is an audio documentary that chronicles the inspiring stories of Americans who have researched, fought for, and lived through pay and funding inequity in the United States. I was first inspired to write this piece in 2022 when, as an untenured Professor at the University of Colorado, I received notice from my university that I would be receiving a raise thanks to the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. Curious what this meant and why I was receiving it, I dove into research mode. I quickly learned that my university had determined that I was being underpaid compared to my male colleagues of similar experience and expertise, and that, in accordance with the new Colorado Equal Pay Act, my compensation would be increased moving forward to adjust for the pay discrimination I had experienced. Following this news from the Equal Pay Act, University of Colorado colleague and Engineering Professor Shelley Miller sued the University of Colorado for owed backpay and reached a settlement that provided backpay for over 400 underpaid women faculty members at our university. It is an incredible story of justice and morality that impacted me immensely, and I was determined to explore it further—along with the broader issue of funding and pay inequity in our country. 

In composing the piece, I conducted interviews with four people involved in this fight. They are: 

Jessie Danielson, Colorado State Senator and Author of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act 
Terra McKinnish, University of Colorado Economics Professor and Labor Economist 
Kris Livingston, University of Colorado Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director 
Michael Uy, University of Colorado Music Professor and Researcher in Arts Funding 

Using audio clips from these interviews, I wove these stories together into a sonic fabric of storytelling which you will hear as an electronics track played in the hall during the performance. Within this story, the wind ensemble acts as a live film score to the voices of these interviews. In conducting the interviews, I came to realize just how complex and multifaceted the fight for equal pay is in this country. Pay inequity results from a multitude of factors, including discrimination, bias, personal choices, childcare, gender expectations, and access to education, resources, and opportunities. 

The title for the piece comes from the statistic that, compared to white men, white women make 77¢ on the dollar, Black women make 61¢, Latina women 58¢, and Native American women 53¢. Equal pay will not be achieved until every demographic of our society makes the full 100¢ on the dollar—until everyone has equal access to funding, resources, and education. 

Huge thank yous go out to Senator Danielson, Dr. McKinnish, Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director Kris Livingston, and Dr. Uy for generously sharing their time, stories, and work with me. I would also be remiss if I didn’t extend my deepest gratitude to Dr. Matt Dockendorf for his invaluable work in organizing this consortium and bringing this piece to life with his students. - Annika Socolofsky, January 2025

Composed by Annika Socolofsky
Performed by the University of Colorado Wind Symphony & Matt Dockendorf
Recorded by Kevin Harbison (wind ensemble) and Annika Socolofsky (interviews)
Mixed by Jonathan Galle
Commissioned by Matt Dockendorf & The University of Colorado Bands and a National Consortium

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