While the University remains closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it will reimburse student workers not able to work on campus. This reimbursement will apply only to student workers who receive need-based financial aid.
In a memo to student-worker supervisors, the Office of Student Employment announced that student workers will be reimbursed for hours they would have worked over the next three months, provided they meet certain conditions. This decision comes after students were advised to use sick leave hours to make up for lost wages.
According to the new policy, students who receive need-based financial aid, have already worked during the Spring 2020 term, and will not be working at the University, either in person or remotely, through the end of the term are eligible to be paid normal wages.
Students who meet these criteria will “be paid via the normal bi-weekly cycle for the pay periods between March 23, 2020, and May 17, 2020,” according to the document. The amount paid will be based on their average weekly earnings for the term before March 8.
Students who do not meet all three criteria, however, will not be able to recover lost wages. Students on Federal Work Study who have reached their earnings limit “will be reviewed on a case by case basis.”
Gabrielle Sudilovsky ’22, who works at the Murray Dodge café on Federal Work Study, says that without some kind of compensation, students who rely on their campus jobs will face a number of difficulties.
“Just to be candid, I make a little under $200 a week and that was greatly factored in my financial aid. I use that money for things like flying home and living life,” Sudilovsky said.
While Sudilovsky shared that she is fortunate to have been able to save money, other students aren’t so lucky.
“A lot of my coworkers haven’t had the opportunity to save as much as I have,” she said. “I’ve been lucky in that sense, but I know some other students haven’t.”
John Hintermaier, a University parent, praised the University on Twitter for their accommodations to student workers during the COVID-19 crisis. His son, Aidan Hintermaier ’22, normally works at the Digital Learning Lab (DLL) on campus, assisting students with digital technology projects such as podcasts.
Aidan Hintermaier said that while he’s happy to hear that the University will compensate student workers, he personally hasn’t heard anything from his bosses at the DLL.
“I’m sure they’ll be on top of it. I figure they’ve got plenty of other things to handle,” he said.
According to the announcement, eligible students should await further instruction from their supervisors and individual offices on how they will receive compensation.
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