Even before coming to campus or starting classes, large, almost incomprehensible numbers began to show up on my tuition bills. To me, this meant one thing – I would need to get an on-campus job to help offset some of the cost. After working for nearly four months at a lodging establishment while coronavirus quarantine restrictions were enacted, I expected that there would be procedures in place to ensure students’ safety at Hofstra. I also expected that I would be fairly compensated for the risks I would assume by working during the pandemic. Coming into college, I was relatively willing to have my views and ideas about student life challenged – I know this happens to every person who pursues higher education. However, though I came in with this open mindset, I was not prepared for the reality of what being a student worker at Hofstra entails.
After being on campus for a little over three weeks now, I’m not so sure I want an on-campus job. Opportunities for student employment are scarce at Hofstra. Because of the pandemic, many of the positions typically available are no longer offered. The only job I was able to find was as a Resident Safety Representative (RSR). I’ve heard horror stories from friends in the Resident Safety Program about how the only training they received was over the phone, or how RSRs are continuously assigned to Colonial Square, where students who have tested positive for coronavirus are quarantined. I don’t feel comfortable taking on this potentially dangerous role with little to no training, especially considering the pay rate.
Student workers at Hofstra work the security vestibules, operate equipment rental stations and phone bank. These are all vital tasks that need to be done to keep campus running smoothly, but student workers at Hofstra are paid less than Long Island minimum wage. RSRs make $10 per hour during the day and $11 per hour at night, despite minimum wage being $13 per hour. To ask the obvious question – why? The labor that Hofstra students perform isn’t any less valuable than labor performed by non-Hofstra students, so why are student workers getting paid less than their non-student counterparts? I think any college student would say that between classes, homework and other miscellaneous tasks like laundry, time is incredibly valuable. However, the pay student workers are receiving doesn’t reflect this. This issue has rightly been a point of contention among Hofstra students for a while now, but the pandemic makes it more important to address than ever.
Many students are working on campus even if they don’t feel comfortable or safe. They need money to put toward their tuition and don’t have any other opportunities or family to fall back on. Coronavirus is changing almost everything we took for granted, but college students being broke is not one of those things. Health risks have gone up, but bills haven’t gone down. If Hofstra is going to ask student workers to expose themselves to potentially dangerous situations, they should be paid accordingly.
