By Laurel O’Keefe and Sarah Kocher
NEWS EDITOR / COPY CHIEF
Some student employees are struggling to make ends meet as they are currently paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour rather than the $10 state minimum, which is allowed by the New York and federal minimum wage exemptions. While peer universities have chosen to bypass the exemption that allows for college students to be paid federal minimum wage by their own university rather than the state minimum wage, Hofstra has stuck to paying $7.25.
“My current wage is the federal minimum of $7.25 and I don’t think that’s very fair. The low wages really impact my finances since I use a large portion of my money to buy food to balance out my meal plan because I can’t afford to eat on campus all of the time,” said Lauren Morgan, a junior geography, sustainability and global studies major. “I definitely believe that Hofstra should follow other universities and pay a higher wage. It’s a more realistic wage that we can actually live off of. Those few dollars really make a difference. I mean we’re students and we shouldn’t have to worry as much about living paycheck to paycheck.”
According to University Relations, “New York State’s minimum wage does not apply to students working at their own college. All student employees at Hofstra must be paid at least $7.25/hour, which is the federal minimum wage … A large majority of our current student employees earn greater than the federal minimum wage and a significant number earn NYS’s [New York State’s] current minimum wage. Hofstra follows the federal minimum wage to offer the opportunity for student employment to the largest number of students. The federal share of the wages received by a student in the federal work study program is dictated by federal regulation and depends in part on the type of job.”
Adam Hockenberry, a sophomore political science and global studies major, does not receive Federal Work- Study (FWS). “[The Hofstra minimum wage] certainly limits me. I would like to say that in an ideal situation my paycheck would last me the full pay period, but it just doesn’t. There’s a consistent pressure to budget to a point that it’s come out during sessions at the Saltzman Center. It’s tough,” he said.
According to Hofstra’s Student Employee Handbook, “rates for FWS students and Student Employees are set by the employing department, beginning at the applicable minimum wage, and are based on the nature of the work to be done, the skills required and/or the length of time the student has held the job.”
Of the discrepancy in pay between different departments on Hofstra’s campus Morgan said, “It really bothers me that I know friends that have jobs on campus that have a higher wage than me for doing an office job. I think students should be paid the same amount since we are all working similar types of jobs and for similar hours.”
Surrounding institutions such as Adelphi University and SUNY schools, like Stony Brook University, pay student employees the New York State minimum wage or higher.
Adelphi University pays students a minimum of $10 an hour. According to the Adelphi Employee Handbook, “All Adelphi University employees (including students, hourly and temporary employees) will be paid no less than the federally mandated minimum wage as prescribed by the Fair Labor Standards Act, or the State required minimum wage, whichever is greater.”
In cooperation with the Faculty Student Association (FSA) and Campus Dining (CD), student employees at Stony Brook University received a “pay increase of 75 cents for its student employees, bringing the minimum wage to a competitive average of $10.15 per hour” last year, according to Stony Brook University’s website.
“It is unethical for Hofstra to pay us below the state minimum wage, and if universities within close proximity have already made the commitment to paying its students [by state law], why can’t we? The university has been openly developing property and investing in repairs across the campus, but the students who work can’t always afford to eat,” Hockenberry said.
As a student who lives off-campus, Chelsea Cueto, a junior public relations major, said Hofstra’s current minimum wage affects her daily life. “I originally chose to live off-campus because it’s cheaper than on-campus housing but since I don’t have a car, I am limited in my job opportunities. Considering we live in the New York metro area, and resources are already expensive and highly taxed, getting paid the federal minimum wage makes it difficult to live a sustainable lifestyle without asking my parents for financial help, since they are already paying so much for this university to begin with.”
Cueto also said how getting paid the state minimum wage by Hofstra would better her living conditions. “I use the majority, if not my entire paycheck, for my cost of living and this leaves me little room for emergencies or extracurricular activities,” she said. “If Hofstra were to pay me the state minimum wage, I would be able to live more comfortably and not have to constantly worry about my financial stability.”
