Student workers benefit from law
Campus Times
March 14, 1997
cartoon by Stephanie Lesniak
As of March 1, 1997, all freshmen student workers on-campus, which includes
work study and non, had their wages increased. These students who were being
paid $4.75 per hour received a raise to $5 per hour. This was to comply
with the new national minimum wage standard that was put into effect this
month. Although the freshmen automatically received this increase, sophomores,
juniors and seniors did not.
Each academic year, students who continue with their on-campus jobs
in the same departments obtain an annual raise of 25 cents per hour. On
the surface, the current raise for freshmen seems unfair. Why should freshmen
who have been here only a semester have the same hourly pay as sophomores
who have been at their jobs for a year and a half? Why didn't the University
of La Verne decide to give everyone a raise?
Unbeknownst to many, wage increases for everyone are in the near future,
including those freshmen who recently saw an increase and new, incoming
freshmen. Effective this summer, all on-campus student wages will increase
from where they were in September 1996. Freshmen will now start at $5.75,
which increases from the current $5 an hour. Sophomores will see an increase
of pay to $6, juniors will get $6.25 and seniors will receive $6.50. These
increases are to accommodate two more minimum wage increases that will take
place within the next 12 months.
This increase will certainly make those who work on-campus for non-work
study happy. They will work the same amount of hours for one dollar more
per hour.
However, work study students will see virtually no change from their
present situation. Students who receive work study as a part of their financial
aid packages will see a 20 percent increase in the amount of work study
they receive for the 1997-98 year. This is to comply with the hourly wage
increase. Thus, departments that utilize work study will not suffer from
lack of student workers.
Work study students who were hoping to pocket the remaining money from
the wage increase will not be able to do so. They may get one dollar more
per hour, but they will still have to sign their checks over to the school
to fulfill their financial obligations. The work-study program is a federal
program that allows students work on campus to pay for a portion of their
tuition.
Though this increase may be beneficial to freshmen during the last few
months of this semester and to non-work study students in general, it will
hardly promote great change in this institution as a whole.
Although ULV is making a point to increase the current pay scale, students
should thank only the government for their raises. Had it been up to the
University, students would still be making $4.75 per hour, hardly a respectable
wage for someone at an institution of higher learning.