2008 Woodie Awards
Student pay rate hiked
By Frank Skrip
Rocket News Editor
Issue date: 12/9/05 Section: News
Increased living costs and the decreased value of the dollar were factors in the decision to increase the rate of pay for students at Slippery Rock University beginning Jan. 7.
Wages for students employed by SRU will be increased from $5.15 to $6 per hour Jan. 7, followed by another increase of $.15 per hour on Aug. 7.
The decision to augment the pay rate was recently made by SRU President Robert Smith and his cabinet. The final factor in deciding to adjust the pay rate was to make the SRU pay rate more competitive with the marketplace.
"As part of our mission to keep an SRU education as affordable as possible, we thought it only appropriate to raise the wages we pay our students employed in University jobs," Smith said. "It is also in keeping with the increased awareness about living on minimum wage that we gained from our campus-wide reading of the book 'Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting by in America' by Barbara Ehrenreich earlier this year."
Sophomore chemistry major Jenna Moss is employed by SRU as a student secretary in the parks and recreation office located in the Eisenberg Classroom Building. She said that she is obviously happy with the decision.
"It's funny because starting next semester I'll be making more money here than I do at my summer job where I have been working for three summers," Moss said.
Moss spends her summers as a lifeguard at the Greenville Memorial Pool in her hometown, about 45 minutes North of Slippery Rock. She makes $5.50.
She thinks working on campus is better than working off campus for several reasons.
"It's great to be able to walk to work," Moss said. "Also I'm sure I get more school work done working here than I would if I worked at a restaurant or something."
She also said the department works around her school schedule.
According to a release issued by SRU, budgets will be adjusted so departments can employ students for approximately the same number of hours as they do now.
Wages for students employed by SRU will be increased from $5.15 to $6 per hour Jan. 7, followed by another increase of $.15 per hour on Aug. 7.
The decision to augment the pay rate was recently made by SRU President Robert Smith and his cabinet. The final factor in deciding to adjust the pay rate was to make the SRU pay rate more competitive with the marketplace.
"As part of our mission to keep an SRU education as affordable as possible, we thought it only appropriate to raise the wages we pay our students employed in University jobs," Smith said. "It is also in keeping with the increased awareness about living on minimum wage that we gained from our campus-wide reading of the book 'Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting by in America' by Barbara Ehrenreich earlier this year."
Sophomore chemistry major Jenna Moss is employed by SRU as a student secretary in the parks and recreation office located in the Eisenberg Classroom Building. She said that she is obviously happy with the decision.
"It's funny because starting next semester I'll be making more money here than I do at my summer job where I have been working for three summers," Moss said.
Moss spends her summers as a lifeguard at the Greenville Memorial Pool in her hometown, about 45 minutes North of Slippery Rock. She makes $5.50.
She thinks working on campus is better than working off campus for several reasons.
"It's great to be able to walk to work," Moss said. "Also I'm sure I get more school work done working here than I would if I worked at a restaurant or something."
She also said the department works around her school schedule.
According to a release issued by SRU, budgets will be adjusted so departments can employ students for approximately the same number of hours as they do now.
