Work-Study at Hampshire: An In-Depth Look

Many of us, for one reason or another, have discovered that work-study jobs at Hampshire pay at the same wage rate. Are you one of those who wondered why?
The pay rate here is $8 an hour whether you wash dishes or monitor space or organize books at the library. "Hampshire has had a one-tier pay system since the beginning," says the Director of Financial Aid, Kathy Methot. When asked why Hampshire has kept this one-tier system, Kathy reponded that it is to keep "a level playing field." Work-study is to help students with the costs of college, not to cause unnecessary competition.
One might wonder how our sister schools deal with work-study. The rest of the Five College Consortium has varied wage systems. The differences in pay are due to skill envolved, experience, and perquisites. The concept of "work-study" is sponsored by the Federal Work-Study Program. Since this is a federal program, one might think there are unifying rules regarding how it's run. The answer is there aren't. There are some guidelines (like "Hourly wages must not be less than federal minimum wage."), but nothing substantial regarding levels of pay. Usually, the Federal Government funds about 75% any given work-study program at different colleges around the country. This amount of money is decided by the age of the institution, enrollment, and other factors. Normally, the work-study positions at these schools are given out until the school has to pay their 25%, and then there is no more aid. At Hampshire, this is not the case. According to Kathy Methot, Hampshire gives close to 85% of the money for our work-study program. To understand this, know that the Federal Government pays around $120,000 of the nearly $800,000 that is pumped into Hampshire's work-study wages.
Around 15 years ago, there was a motion to move the college to a
two-tier system. The administration was unable to define those students that would be on a higher pay system than others. Would it be by finacial need or skilled labor or both? Naturally, they were unable to reach a consensus and the motion was tabled. However, in the summer of 2006, this issue resurfaced. Michelle Green, Dean of Students, would not take no for an answer. She felt that jobs requiring certification merited higher wages. "I worked with the Business Office and the employing offices to make that [higher wages for trained positions] happen." These higher paid positions include EMTs, lifeguards, and Event Monitors. They receive $8.75 an hour.