Image Credit to Ben Hayes
Effective June 2020, Skidmore College will finally begin the process of paying its student workers the New York State minimum wage, currently at $11.80.
The decision came after a series of open forums and discussions between students and members of the administration, which were prompted by student activism and Student Government Association's (SGA’s) minimum wage resolution.
After the first fiery open forum on Oct. 15, which lasted over an hour and a half, the follow-up forum included the same members of the Skidmore administration: Dean of Students Cerri Banks, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Gail Cummings-Danson, VP for Finance and Administration Donna Ng, and Director of Financial Aid Beth-Ann Post.
The follow up was held on Oct. 28, and came three days after the IPPC Budget and Finance Subcommittee met in order to discuss the topic of minimum wage for student workers and its possibilities.
In an email sent to the entire student body, Cummings-Danson mentioned that the IPPC meeting discussed the fact that while half of the NY6 peer schools already pay their student workers the state minimum wage, Skidmore’s work study program is significantly larger than these other schools.
The result was that the subcommittee decided to recommend to IPPC and the cabinet that minimum wage is to be increased and that meanwhile the work study program be reviewed.
Ben Hayes ’20 and Gabe Feldman Schwartz ’22 said in a follow-up interview to The Skidmore News that they are happy with these results and the quick pace in which the change occurred.
“This is going to make a big difference for a lot of people, it’s a fairly high wage increase,'' Feldman-Schwartz said. “It was also inspiring to see Skidmore [community] show up for an organizing effort like that.”
Powel Kazanjian ’21, who drafted the minimum wage resolution, said he is also satisfied with the results, but that some details were left “very wide open,” especially regarding “What [Skidmore administration] will do about leveling wage brackets after the wage rises in coordination with New York state.”
As for the movement’s future, Feldman-Schwartz mentioned that there are plans to work on a student workers bill of rights, headed by SGA representatives — mainly Vice-President for Diversity and Inclusion Malkijah Hoskins’22.
Meanwhile, Hayes stressed that there is still a lot of work to be done, especially regarding the issue of student worker mistreatment with the goal of improving and creating a healthy work environment for students. He mentioned that the campaign has not reached its end goal quite yet, as the recent increase in student wages is incorporated in the college’s operating budget one-year plan, but there has not been “a formal commitment to the five-year plan.”
Hayes added that it was great to see that the grassroots campaign “developed in coordination with other clubs and organizations like SGA but not concretely rooted in any of them,” instead it was rooted in a sense of community.
Following the minimum wage efforts, a community meeting addressing student worker treatment was held by SGA’s committee of inclusion and outreach, and headed by Hoskins on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
In an email sent to the student body, Hoskins stressed that SGA is fully committed to this cause: “SGA is vehemently against the mistreatment of student workers and we are adamant in our commitment to reform in working with students and administration.”
Hoskins encouraged members of the student body to get involved in this school-wide effort by attending meetings and ensuring that their voices and concerns are heard with SGA. The organization’s ultimate goal “is to make changes to the student employee handbook and create a committee that will center on student worker rights,” he concluded.
In the case of a current incident of mistreatment for an on-campus job, students should reach out, depending on the particular case, to: Saytra Green (Human Resources/Assistant Director for Employment, Compliance, and Workforce Diversity), Joel Aure (Title IX Coordinator), and Cerri Banks (Dean of Students).
Mary Lou Bates, Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, has also stated that the student employee handbook has been updated with the necessary information required in case work place issues arise.
The Skidmore News reached out to Cummings-Danson and Banks for a follow-up statement, but they did not comment prior to the publication of this story.
Complaints may also be submitted online via the following: Student Incident Reporting Form. Additional resources: Bias Response Group and Title IX Information.”