Is this a common problem at selective schools?
Also, I don’t care how safe the school feels, students need to LOCK their doors!
Minimum wage in PA is $7.25 BTW.
The issue seems to be that some of these students are not being paid…at all. That being the case…why are thy doing this unpaid job?
Paid jobs on the Haverford campus pay $9 an hour which is above the minimum wage in that state.
But the job highlighted at the start of the article is not a paid position…it’s a volunteer position…it seems.
So…these students should look for jobs that pay.
Yeah, if you read the description of the program, it sounds like a mandatory service kind of thing, but you also have to apply?
Did my post get moved? I thought I posted in the Financial Aid forum. I’m trying to find out if this is an issue at selective colleges in general. I already know the situation at Haverford!
Customs is a volunteer position. It’s not mandatory, in fact it’s pretty competitive to even get it. It’s not an on-campus job, and the position does not have the same responsibilities of the RAs I know at other colleges. Why do they do this job if it’s unpaid? Because they want to, because they think it’s fun, and other reasons. There are lots of volunteer roles on many college campuses. If a student needs to earn money then being a CP isn’t the way to go.
I agree with @MamaBear16. And yes, @LucietheLake, unpaid students living in freshman dorms also occurs at other colleges. One of the best things about Williams College is the Junior Advisor system. Junior Advisors do not work for the college and are not chosen by adult administrators. They are unpaid volunteers chosen by a board of students. Before this year, 2 Junior Advisors lived in an “entry” with up to 20 freshmen. Starting this year, 3-4 Junior Advisors live in an entry with up to 40 freshmen. They are like big brothers and big sisters. They do not discipline, report, etc. They are just good listeners and good organizers who help their freshmen get to know one another and get to know the college, and provide a listening ear from time to time.
The Junior Advisor program was created in 1925 at Williams! For all these years, it went on for years without being controversial. Suddenly, in the past few years only, it has become more controversial with some people saying the investment of time and energy and emotion is very intense for an unpaid job. But a lot of people still love the JA/entry system. Before the past few years, it was just considered a wonderful honor to be chosen for this role by your peers. It is still a prestigious role.