Editorial: SFC makes poor decision

Student workers deserve raises

Shortsighted. Thoughtless. Unnecessary. Unwarranted.

And just plain wrong.

The Student Fee Committee should not deny 28 students a 5 percent pay raise this year. The committee, which has already shown their overt frugality, abused the autonomous control they have over more than $12 million in student fees.

The committee must realize the error of their ways, and overturn their decision. If not, at least one of the students not getting their due raise should approach the Student Fee Committee (SFC) and demand that they reconsider their flawed decision.

Student stipends on every level pay measly salaries. Most of the time, the pay is lower than Oregon’s minimum wage.

Students who have worked in a stipend position for more than one year have shown dedication, drive and interest in PSU and the campus community. The least the SFC can do is show minimal appreciation by granting a raise that these student workers have earned.

The SFC had every constitutional right to make this decision. Their arguments, however, were petty.

The money that would pay for the raises could not be better spent. The raise would have cost a mere $6,000 and would have given money to student workers-the people who need it most. Now, it will sit in a reserve as a stagnant pool of untouched funds, instead of in the pockets of the students who work hard to make PSU a diverse community.

Six thousand dollars is a minimal investment for student workers who sacrifice their time and bankbooks for jobs that they care about.

As the independent controller and decider of where and how student fees are allocated, the SFC should have more closely considered the impact of their decision. Their decision tells students that no matter how hard student leaders work in spite of the low pay and lower gratitude, they will never see any appreciation.

Decisions should not be made in secret

Student input is the most important part of any decision at a university.

It is a travesty that so few students were informed about the Student Fee Committee meeting on Oct. 26, which resulted in a decision to deny pay raises to student employees who keep their job for longer than a year.

Student Fee Committee (SFC) liaisons must inform student groups of any meeting that will happen, particularly a meeting that could impact a student employee’s pay. It was of poor judgment by SFC Chair Amanda Newberg to let the meeting occur with relative anonymity, save an e-mail to the few people on the SFC e-mail list and two posted notices.

A similar situation must not happen again.

Without a doubt, the 28 students–some of whom are members of The Vanguard staff–would have been at the Oct. 26 meeting to argue against the SFC decision.

Student groups must be informed of any meeting that could have an impact on them. Without this transparency, the SFC is able to abuse its autonomous control over student funds.