For some Ball State University students, work involves more than the typical class projects, homework and tests. Every year, 4,400 students work at various campus jobs to pad their pockets and help the university at the same time.
This week is National Student Employee Week, which means university students who work on campus have the opportunity to win prizes from the Career Center. Despite this week's fun bonuses, Ball State should also consider the important issues of expanding budgets and paying students more - especially in light of legislation at both the state and federal level.
The Indiana House of Representatives passed legislation that will tie minimum wage increases to those passed at the national level, according to the Associated Press. In effect, this means if the proposed wage increase to $7.25 an hour passes at the federal level, Indiana will follow suit and increase the minimum wage the same amount.
A nearly $2 wage hike has the potential to help university-employed students make more cash, but it could also cause Ball State to have some money issues of its own. Ball State needs to actively address the problem so student jobs don't disappear because of insufficient budgets if the legislation passes.
To get an idea of possible problems, Ball State should look at the consequences of a small minimum wage increase. For example, if Ball State suddenly raised student wages a dollar, expenditures would increase $4,400 every hour. If all students are working a 10-hour week on average, that's a staggering $44,000 in extra funds Ball State would be responsible for.
In light of the massive monetary issues even small increases could cause, Ball State administrators should consider increasing budgets and student pay incrementally now to avoid problems later. It might put a strain on the current budget, but these safeguards would be well worth the trouble if the wage increase does pass.
Increasing student pay would benefit Ball State in other ways as well. It stands to reason that higher-paid employees will be more willing to work hard for the university. Higher wages would also mean more competition for on-campus student jobs, which would ensure Ball State employs only the cream of the crop workers.
If Ball State ignores the minimum wage increase problem until it's too late, they might find themselves filling the void in on-campus jobs students leave behind.
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