UT announces federal work-study pay increase

LEAH HIBBERT Staff Writer

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Week of 4/17/23 - 4/23/23

On July 1, the minimum hiring wage for student employees will rise to $11 an hour, up from the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Wages for student on-campus work-study employees will increase from $9 an hour to $11 an hour, while wages for off-campus work-study employees will increase from $13 an hour to $16 an hour.

The Federal Work-Study Program on campus allows students to work either full or part-time jobs to lower their tuition expense. The program is need based, but eligible students earn an average of $3,000 a year toward their tuition costs. Most students work less than 30 hours a week, and their pay is deposited into their tuition balance every other week.

“Student employment opportunities can provide benefits for students, including eliminating the need to travel off-campus for work, flexible scheduling around their classes and exams and experience learning and building skill sets that will benefit them while at the university and in their future career path,” a release from the student employment office said.

The wage increase will likely encourage more students to work on-campus jobs and relieve stress of students enrolled in federal aid programs.

“It’s nice honestly because we don’t get tips at the cafe so being able to get a fair amount without tips has been really great,” MJ Lane, a fresh-

In recent years, members of the Student Government Association have pushed for change, with a proposed wage increase to benefit the overall student body. The federal minimum wage in the state of Tennessee is $7.25 an hour. Due to UT being a public state university, the same minimum wage was in effect on campus until Chancellor Donde Plowman raised it to $13 an hour in 2021 for non-student employees.

Patrick Angelaccio, a senior social work major, wrote and proposed the bill in hopes that hard-working students could be recognized and promoted for their contributions on campus.

“The main idea behind the bill is that we were seeing huge levels of pressure on students for where and how they are getting their money. Students are giving up their free time and forgoing higher pay in order to work on campus. I wrote the bill, so seeing it pass has been a huge win for students, people on campus and people that help make this university,” Angelaccio said.

Considering UT is public, the university is only required to pay the federal minimum wage. This voluntary increase allows students to maximize their work and school balance while alleviating financial stress.

Alexandra Crowled, a junior forensic anthropology major, explained her feelings on the pay increase.

“This is great because we do a lot of extra work for what we’re paid. Especially when it comes to extra stuff like inventory and restocking and don’t get compensated for it. I think we just need to continue to make changes like this. I know people that make way less than me for doing