Hofstra Human Resources announced that the student employee minimum wage would be raised to $12 an hour./ // Photo courtesy of Kenny Eliason.

An email sent out by Human Resources to all Hofstra student employees on Thursday, Sept. 8, informed them that the student employee minimum wage would be increased from $8.25 an hour to $12 an hour.

This announcement comes after years of students requesting they be paid at least Nassau County minimum wage. Although students welcome the increase in pay, they have yet to be paid the county minimum wage – $15 an hour.

According to President Susan Poser, about 50% of students will be making $15 an hour and 75% of students will see an increase in their pay. “Right now, this is what we’re willing to do,” she said.

A study delving into the budgets used for student employees was conducted by Denise Cunningham, director of Human Resources. In the study, it was found that a significant portion of the budget and a number of federal work studies were not being utilized. “The pandemic changed how we work. Some of those changes – increased digitization, for example – have become permanent,” Cunningham said. “As a result, there is less need for some jobs, such as delivering paper documents, as more work moves online.”

Additionally, some Resident Safety Representative (RSR) booths will no longer be staffed at all times. According to Poser, “there doesn’t seem to be a need.” Only one booth will be staffed in Colonial Square as opposed to the usual three and the graduate hall RSR booth will slowly be phased out during this semester.

Ryder Lazo, a senior history and German major and Chloe Leatherman, a senior ilm and history major, formed a student union last semester to advocate for Hofstra student employees and ensure that they are being treated fairly. “We’re glad to hear that some people are making $15,” Lazo said, “but we just don’t understand why the school has decided to deem other people’s work more important than others. It sort of makes student workers wonder why their work is deemed unimportant or less deserving.”

Sarah Battaglino, a junior writing for the screen major, works as a student aide in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Dean’s Office and as an RA on campus. Battaglino said that she was happy her student aide position saw a raise, but she wished the university would consider raising the stipend RAs receive each semester. “As an RA, you can get either one floor or two floors, and the pay is the same,” Battaglino said. “Even if you have double the residents, you’re still getting paid the same.” Additionally, she said that she has “a lot of anxiety” surrounding her finances and does not feel financially secure.

Leatherman feels that there is a misconception that student employees are working to gain “work experience.”

“We want to ensure that student employees have meaningful work experiences that will help them prepare for their future careers,” Cunningham said.

However, according to Leatherman, the reality is quite different. “The students who are taking these jobs are not the ones with wealthy parents who are pushing them to get ‘job experience,’ it’s people who need jobs,” she said. “I have experienced firsthand – and I know a lot of other student employees have as well – struggles with food insecurity and paying for rent and utilities. Hofstra is a notoriously expensive school, and the area around it has a pretty high cost of living. You can’t live off of less than $15 an hour.”

According to Cunningham, an average of 1,100 students are employed each year. According to a study done by U.S. News, 61% of Hofstra students live off campus, meaning they are responsible for their own housing and utilities.

When asked if the university plans to increase student employee minimum wage to $15 an hour, Cunningham said, “The university will continue to evaluate student employment patterns over time and make adjustments as conditions evolve, guided by our goal of providing the maximum number of on-campus employment opportunities.”

The Hofstra Student Union is still organizing for the semester and is open for student employees to voice their concerns and stand up for the Hofstra student workforce.

“I think it’s great that President Poser came in guns blazing, wanting to look at everything and actually changing things,” Leatherman said. “This is a step in the right direction and I look forward to seeing where we go from here.”