SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Student workers at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) say they accepted summer jobs as hourly employees, only to be told weeks before the jobs started that the positions had been changed to independent contractor roles.
The students accepted roles as Pre-College Assistants, or PCAs, who help supervise prospective students during SCAD’s summer programs.
Documents reviewed by WTOC Investigates show the original offer describes the role as a student employee position paying an hourly wage. SCAD later switched to classifying the same workers as independent contractors, who are paid a flat stipend.
One student worker said the change is affecting her wallet. An employment attorney said it may be illegal.
For years, SCAD’s Pre-College Assistants have helped run the college’s summer programs, guiding younger students to classes, supervising dorms, and helping with events.
One PCA, whose identity WTOC is protecting for fear of retaliation, said PCAs are sometimes called “glorified camp counselors.”
“Our job is to get them to their classes, to everything, to make sure they’re waking up,” the PCA said. “And it’s pretty much just like RAs, but like a summer camp version for SCAD.”
Documents obtained by WTOC Investigates show offer letters to PCAs went out this winter, describing the role as an hourly student employee position. The pay is listed at $13.50 an hour, with a projected income of $3,780 for 40 hours a week over...
Exclusive: An online business based in Sydney will be taken to court after it allegedly made false claims it had connections to the victims of the Bondi terror attack. Bondi United, a website that...