On Nov. 7, the University announced that it will be raising its minimum wage from $12.50 to $15 an hour in 2022, a change that will not affect students for the moment but will affect the thousand or so employees working at this income level.
As student employees, of course we want more money. There’s no question about that. But what should be questioned about this increase is the fact that the minimum wage wasn’t $15 an hour already. It’s insane that full-time adult employees, who are supporting not only themselves but also their families, were expected to live on $12.50 an hour at an institution that prides itself on being a driving force behind employment in Rochester.
But student employees are in fact students first. Our massive tuition is ostensibly justified by the opportunity for a future increase in earnings as a result of a UR degree. Even if we are taking out loans, receiving financial aid, and/or working to support ourselves through college, we are doing so as a temporary step under the assumption that we will be paid more in the near future.
While many University employees are also pursuing some further education in addition to their staff roles, they are not in a four-year transition period between childhood and adulthood. Some of us have more to contend with than others during our period of growth, but for many University employees, there is no “after college” for their current stage in life, except perhaps retirement at some point much farther in the future....
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