Editor's note: This story is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal advice in any way. For qualified legal services, consult with a licensed professional.
A campus tour guide, a resident advisor, and a peer mentor walk into a bar. There isn't a punchline in this hypothetical, but their drink money might be protected if they understood their rights in the workplace as student employees.
Students who work at Eastern Michigan University are bound by state and federal labor laws, but there are also university-specific policies that influence how their on-campus jobs play out.
Michigan is an at-will employment state, meaning that employers and employees alike can terminate employment for any reason that is not protected by other legal provisions. The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976 lays out discrimination protections for Michigan workers, and EMU's non-discrimination notice affirms that the university does not discriminate based on "race, color, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, ancestry, disability, military status, veteran status or other non-merit reasons, in admissions, educational programs or activities and employment."
At EMU, student employees may earn an hourly rate between the state minimum wage, which rose in Jan. 2026 to $13.73, and $15 an hour, according to an FAQ page on the University Advising and Career Development Center's website. Another answer on that page...
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