Students, staff have negative reaction to minimum wage hike
Mollie Yandrick sprays the treadmill with sanitizer as she wipes an athlete’s sweat with her bright orange towel at the Fitness Center. She thinks, “Would an increase in minimum wage be effective?”
Yandrick, along with 350 work-study students at Waynesburg University, are eligible to work for a minimum of $7.25 an hour for a maximum of 14 hours a week; however, students in different states are making more money.
According to the Society of Human Resource Management, the increase in minimum wage went over $8, some over $9, in January of 2014. The increase in the wage included the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Montana, Rhode Island, Vermont, Oregon and Washington. Washington has the highest raise, totaling at $9.32 an hour.
If Pennsylvania raised the minimum wage, would it be beneficial?
Yandrick would not see it as beneficial.
“The economy runs on a cycle,” said Yandrick, a junior psychology major. “A rise in minimum wage would not help one because other expenses increase.”
Melissa Crouse, the associate director of Financial Aid, agrees with Yandrick.
“I don’t know if there is a happy medium with minimum wage because when one thing goes up, everything else cycles up,” said Crouse. “It will rise to match other standards.”
However, Crouse thinks there are two ways students could be affected with an increase in minimum wage. One way would be through their work-studies within the departments. “Departments rely on their set budgets,” said Crouse. “With this, the department would not be able to employ as many students [if their budget looks low].”
Second, the financial aid would affect students, and even their families. There are two types of financial aid for student workers: federal and institutional.
According to Crouse, federal aid is support from the government for students who need help with money in their families. Institutional aid is grants and aid offered by Waynesburg University, to help aid students as they pay for school.
If parents receive more money because of the new minimum wage, it could affect financial aid and increase expected family contribution on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA).
“There’s always going to be increases, always going to be changes and financial aid increases each year,” said Crouse. “It is part of a cycle.”
Although an increase in minimum wage could affect work-study students, Robin L. King, senior vice president for Enrollment and University Relations, will try to sustain student workers with financial aid.
“Waynesburg both values and appreciates the important work contributed by student workers,” said King. “If, and when, minimum wage in Pennsylvania actually increases, Waynesburg will remain committed to providing student labor opportunities in the same capacity.”