Student wages stir controversy
By Jesse Baer
A recent article in Swarthmore Colleges student newspaper, the Phoenix,
reports that Oberlin pays student workers lower wages than any other liberal arts college in the
Consortium on Financing Higher Education.
Vice President for Finance Andrew Evans vehemently disputed the figures published in the Phoenix.
Whenever I ask others [about wages at other colleges], we are always higher than most,
he said. I challenge each of those numbers.
The Phoenix article reports that the minimum and typical wage at Oberlin is $5.50, and that the
maximum wage is $7. According to the article, the average minimum wage at the COFHE liberal arts
schools is $6.75, the average typical wage is $7.25 and the average maximum wage is $8.
In addition to Oberlin and Swarthmore, the Consortium includes Amherst, Bryn Mawr, Carleton, Mt.
Holyoke, Pomona, Smith, Wellesley and Williams Colleges, as well as Wesleyan University.
Evans countered the Phoenix with numbers of his own. According to Evans, the minimum wage for student
workers at Oberlin is currently $5.85, the median rate is $7.40, and the highest wage being paid
is $16.
The bottom line is, I and the President both challenge whats been published by Swarthmore,
he said.
He also said that the Phoenix shouldnt have access to this data.
I plan to tell our COFHE rep to call the Swarthmore people and ask them how the information
came to be public, he said. Theyre printing information about us. Part of the
deal when you join COFHE is you dont publish information without asking the school.
Low student wages dont seem to be a pressing problem at Oberlin right now. According to senior
Erica Lee, who runs the Office of Student Employment, students generally arent complaining.
Theres not talk about it, Lee said. Nobody complains about wage
Since
nobody knows that we get paid so little, we just take what we can get.
Most jobs on this campus are around $6, she added. Except for the Con. For some
reason they get paid a lot because they have special musical skills.
Evans claimed that the typical rate was closer to $7. He acknowledged that some students are making
only $5.75 per hour, but said that this violated College policy.
It did turn out that we have a few students making $5.75, he said. I dont
know why our departments arent paying [at least $5.85]. Thats a mistake.
Oberlin has a chart, suggesting four levels of pay, depending on the skill level of
each given job. The rates on this chart are less than the rates Evans listed.
Theyre guidelines individual departments can decide the level of skill that
they need, Evans said. They pay hopefully according to the chart, [but] if there are
skills specific and off the chart, they can pay more.
Maybe the [student wage] chart says we shouldnt pay above that, he added. Were
paying double that in some areas, specifically in the area of hiring pianists.
Not everybody feels so well-paid, however.
I run this entire office and I dont get shit, Lee observed wryly.
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