Compensation
Raise the compensation for Resident Advisers, to accurately reflect the total number of hours we work and the rigor of our duties.
Officially, Resident advisers are contracted to work 19 hours per week and are compensated through their housing, meal plans, and a stipend. This stipend is inadequate; we receive a bi-monthly paycheck of $35 after tax deductions which is a formula that has not, according to leadership in University Residences, been substantially adjusted since 1986. Resident advisers often exceed the average of 19 hours per week. The Student Employee Handbook states that “undergraduate and graduate students in any combination of work study, departmental, or grant funded positions may work up to a maximum of 19 hours per week” yet University Residences establishes expectations that cause Resident advisers to exceed this. University Residences needs to acknowledge the burden the university places on students when they inaccurately advertise the number of hours Resident advisers work, and then underpay them for the duties they perform. It is not possible to live on approximately $35 (after tax deductions) every two weeks even when housing and meals are paid for. Oftentimes, Resident advisers are forced to choose between putting gas in our cars and paying phone bills.
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We are also expected to have a roommate for an extended period of time with a loose deadline of one quarter for when the resident will move out. This impacts the ability of Resident advisers to
perform our duties, especially in crisis situations. In cases where renovations to Residence Halls take longer than expected, which happens frequently, we are often expected to stay with other Resident advisers in different communities, which is a violation of our contract. We are not compensated for this inconvenience.
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We are also not compensated for the time we spend on-call overnight, when we are expected to respond to any phone call at any point between 9PM and 7AM during the school week. We are demanding that University Residences increase the stipend to accurately reflect the work we perform and the circumstance we are placed in. This includes adjusting the current stipend, which has not been changed since 1986, for inflation.
Allow Resident Advisers to collect their earnings for working over term breaks before school is resumed.
Compensate Resident Advisers for the time it takes to complete required training.
Two weeks before the start of Fall Quarter Resident advisers are required to attend full time training which is scheduled for 10-12 hours a day, including weekends. University Residences claims that our housing covers the payment of training. However, the cost of housing per week only accounts for 19 hours of work, despite the required training being closer to 70 hours per week. Although University Residences claims that our housing is the form in which we are paid, some Resident advisers move in with inadequate housing conditions (no hot water, no room to move into, etc). We are not compensated adequately for this time during training, and do not receive our first stipends until residents move into the residence halls. Required trainings should not be financial burdens on us.
Resident advisers work over academic breaks for which we are paid an arbitrary amount of $50 per day despite having to be on-duty for shifts of 24 hours per payment. We are not, however, allowed to receive this compensation until classes resume. This puts financial pressure on us over the breaks particularly because the dining halls, our typical sources of food, are closed. Resident advisers should be allowed to receive this pay on a timely schedule in order to lift this burden.
Allow for flexibility within the Resident Adviser meal plan.
Currently all Resident Advisers are offered the same 125 meal plan despite our individual needs. This negatively affects vegetarians, vegans, people with allergies and people who are restricted from certain foods for religious reasons. Aramark does not guarantee any allergen-free meals and has limited-to-no choices for many of the above restricted diets. We are demanding that University Residences give Resident advisers choice in their meal plans and include the additional compensation in our stipends to increase flexibility.