University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley is appointing a committee to determine whether hourly wages should be raised for student employees on campus.
Associated Students of Madison Chair Dylan Rath said Wiley sent him and Student Services Finance Committee Chair Zach Frey a letter Wednesday saying the chancellor does not support granting students living wage, but rather a wage based on current market standards. The committee, Wiley wrote in the letter, will determine whether current student rates are on par with local market rates and suggest adjustments accordingly.
"The concept of a living wage presumes that the worker is full-time and that the worker is supporting a family of four," Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell said. "That is not the profile of a … student on campus."
Wiley's letter is in response to the Living Wage referendum that the majority of UW student voters supported in the October ASM elections. The referendum — backed by the Student Labor Action Coalition — advocated for students working at the Wisconsin Union, Recreational Sports and University Health Services to receive living wage. Living wage is defined as the hourly wage deemed sufficient by the city of Madison to provide for a family of four.
The living wage in Madison is currently $10.23 per hour, but come January will match the federal living wage of $10.62 per hour.
"In particular, in a time of rising tuition and difficult economic conditions, I care about student employees and believe in paying them as much as we are able," Wiley wrote. "However, I believe there is an important set of distinctions between [Limited Term Employees] and student hourly positions."
According to Wiley's letter, Academic Personnel Office Director Stephen Lund will chair the review committee, and Bazzell said the committee would be comprised of UW students, faculty and staff.
The Shared Governance Committee of ASM will nominate students to be on the committee, Bazzell added, and the University Committee will select faculty to participate.
Rath said after the Shared Governance Committee selects nominees, Student Council would vote on them and pass its selections on to the chancellor for approval.
"I think it's important that students who are on this committee can use objective criteria in their decisions and not be biased from past personal experience that they have on campus," Rath said. "We want to find students who care about the issue but also who are going to evaluate what is best for campus and the student body."
SLAC member Ashok Kumar said he plans to sit on the committee. Kumar added the review committee is an "administrative step," but he will still push for student employees to receive living wage.
"I don't think change comes through committees, but I think committees are a good conduit to get our voice heard," Kumar said. "This is a result of us organizing thus far, and I don't think this is a time for us to stop organizing."
Wiley refers to UW System Financial policy G18 in his letter, which Bazzell said requests students earn a wage consistent with the market. If the committee finds that student employees on campus are not making that wage, Bazzell added, the administration would recommend adjustments.
Rath said he did not have a response to whether he thinks student employees on campus should receive living wage, but he is glad Wiley is including student input in the review.
"It's important to realize student workers have so many other commitments with academics and other organizations, but they need to receive adequate payment," Rath said.
