Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Student Senate leaders claim compensation under new policy

Six Student Senate leaders will receive between $1,500 and $3,000 per semester from a University Endowment Senate account.

By Deepa Sampat

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Under a new policy Student Senate leaders will now receive an award compensation funded by a University Endowment Senate account. Adam McGonigle, Wichita junior and student body president, said the new policy had passed through the necessary channels and would be implemented this fall. Senate leaders will no longer be granted tuition sponsorships by Student Success funds.

The new policy, proposed by former student body president Hannah Love and former student body vice president Ray Wittlinger, provided compensation to six Student Senate positions. The student body president and vice president will receive $3,000 per semester; Student Executive committee chair, legislative director and graduate affairs representative will receive $2,000 per semester and student body treasurer will receive $1,500 per semester.

McGonigle said he first learned that Student Success would not provide tuition sponsorships last April. The tuition sponsorships provided leaders with in-state tuition. He said that’s when Love and Wittlinger came up with the new proposal.

“It was too late in the year for student senators to consider any sort of compensation increase on their own,” McGonigle said.

He said that because the Senate cycle was already almost finished in April, there was no way to find funds by writing a bill and taking it through Senate committees.

Marlesa Roney, vice provost of Student Success, said Student Success no longer provided tuition sponsorships for two reasons.

“I was only authorized to provide the funding for one year,” Roney said. “Also, students raised questions about whether the administration should be paying student leaders.”

The student senators who will receive the compensation are also paid $8.50 an hour for 15-20 hours of work per week.

“Student Senate leaders are some of the lowest paid student employees on campus,” McGonigle said. “I think it’s unfortunate our compensation doesn’t compare to the amount of responsibilities Student Senate members have.”

The policy will expire after the Spring 2009 semester.

“This is a one year bandage fix,” he said. “Ultimately the permanent fix will have to be taken care of by Student Senate.”

Tom Cox, Shawnee graduate student and student rights committee vice-chair, said, after hearing about the new policy, he initially reacted unfavorably toward it. He said that if student senators want a pay raise they should request it, which he said they had not done.

“It seems ironic that they are spending student money on the clock to get paid more money,” Cox said.

Cox said he thought student senators should only be paid by funds from student fees because they represent the students. He said he thought neither Student Success nor Endowment should provide any sort of compensation to Student Senate leaders.

“When they are employed by the administration or an administrative body they are not paid to represent, that creates a conflict of interest,” Cox said.

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