On March 27, the Bryn Mawr Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Board released a highly anticipated report based on a survey regarding student wages at the College, which had been circulated around campus throughout the semester and was filled out by over two-thirds of the student body. The results of the survey indicate that “an overwhelming number of students that worked on campus believed that their wages were too low,” according to an email from the SGA E-Board.
The report, addressed to the College Budget Committee and other stakeholders in the College, begins with a chart comparing student wages at Bryn Mawr to those at other institutions. Of the fourteen colleges included, Bryn Mawr has the lowest minimum wage at $11.40 (with the exception of the University of Florida, where starting wages range from $11.00-$15.00). The cost of living in the Bryn Mawr area is also the third highest out of all the locations on the chart. Despite their lower cost of living, the minimum wages on most other campuses fall into the $14.00-$15.00 range.
As for the results of the survey, the report condenses its data into four main Bryn Mawr-specific findings:
- 95% of Bryn Mawr students who work off-campus choose to do so because of the low on-campus wages.
- The tuition at Bryn Mawr has recently increased by 5%, so student wages should increase accordingly.
- Bryn Mawr student wages have not risen in accordance with inflation; if they had, the minimum wage would currently be over $12.00.
- 70% of survey respondents stated that they believe that on-campus wages are too low.
A compilation of student quotes regarding on-campus wages is also included. Several students said that they believed that too much was expected of them in on-campus positions for the pay they received. Multiple student workers also described being unable to adequately support themselves without taking on off-campus work in addition to their on-campus jobs.
Following these anecdotes, the report concludes that the college is “grossly underpaying [its] students to perform essential tasks on campus.”
