Posted by Danny Graugnard
When the minimum wage in New York State was raised to $8 per hour, Skidmore College chose not to. The issue was a hot topic for debate and many discussions and actions were held among students, such as the petition on change.org, particularly by those are still being paid $7.25 for their on-campus job. Recently, SGA has met with the IPPC in order to propose raising the wage for these students, and are working with them to do so.
Based on the conversation with IPPC, it was determined that it wouldn't cost the College too much money for it's next fiscal year if the wage was increased. The issue however, is that IPPC hasn't determined if wage compression is pertinent at the moment, but for now, the goal is raise the minimum wge of students from $7.25 to $8. The pay roll for students that are already at $8 will not see a relative increase.
Research is being conducted to understand how to increase the wage without having an adverse effect on the budget. The College is looking at how other private institutions are working on their budgets to meet the higher minimum wage. Mary Lou Bates, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, could not be reached in time for this article's publication.
Although the matter is currently at a stand still, SGA and IPPC will be meeting again on April 18th to touch base and decide how to move forward.