On June 26, Oakland University’s Board of Trustees (BOT) voted in favor of BOT Treasurer Steven W. Mackey’s proposal for the 2023-2024 budget.
Mackey’s proposal included improving campus security and increasing tuition by 4.5% and 2.0% for the School of Medicine. He also proposed to increase faculty wages, increase the undergraduate student minimum wage to $15 an hour and the graduate student minimum wage to $25 an hour.
According to the OU Young Democratic Socialists of America’s (YDSA) ActionNetwork petition demanding the wage increase, the minimum wage across campus was $9.87.
“Tuition and cost of living are rising, yet our $9.87 minimum wage stays the same,” YDSA said.
The situation this year is different. Tuition increased 4.5%, or about $23.50 more per credit according to Mackey’s budget report. The jump from $9.87 to $15 per hour provides a solid response to the rising costs of tuition.
Senior Archer Atkinson feels the wage increase will be a huge help.
“On days when it was freezing and I couldn’t get across campus, I found I would go hungry because I didn’t have enough money for food,” Atkinson said. “The extra $5 is going to help me more than words can express.”
Thanks to the $5 wage increase, Atkinson believes they will be able to spend more time focusing on school.
“I’m lucky enough to have a job where I have a lot of downtime to do homework, but if not, I would feel comfortable taking less shifts because I would be making more,” Atkinson said.
Senior Marisa...
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