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, increasing tuition for undergrad and graduate students by 4.5% as well as a 2.0% tuition hike for the School of Medicine. Mackey also proposed increasing faculty wages and increasing the undergraduate and the master’s degree level graduate assistant student minimum wage to $15 per hour and the doctoral degree level graduate assistant minimum wage to $25 per 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 McDonald feels the wage increase has the potential to be helpful. However, she struggles with the idea of taking a job at OU, referencing a line on OU’s Student Employment page that says “students are responsible for using the earnings to help pay for educational expenses.”
OU does not force students to pay for their schooling with their job on campus, but McDonald still feels there is pressure to do so. “I would definitely be more likely to get a job on campus with the recent wage increase, but what if I wanted to save that money for something else, like if my car breaks down or if I get injured?” she said.
“Life happens outside of school. If I earn money, I would like to use it how I need it,” McDonald said. “The school doesn’t explicitly say that I’m required to spend the money on campus, but it is implied that that is what the money is meant to be used for.”
McDonald believes the changes OU made will provide more viable employment opportunities for students. She recognizes the benefits of being able to work in the same place you go to school — giving students one less place to drive and allowing them to save money on gas.
Despite the $15 increase, she still feels there is unwanted pressure on her that would not be there if she chose to work somewhere else.
