Some student government officers not paid

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Although officers in MSU’s three student government groups all advocate for the student body, some take on the roles as volunteers rather than paid employees.

Executive board members of both ASMSU — MSU’s undergraduate student government — and the Residence Halls Association, or RHA, receive monetary compensation for their work. But officers on the Council of Graduate Students, or COGS, serve their positions as volunteers, as the COGS constitution does not allow officer payment.

COGS President Stefan Fletcher said it is “uncommon” for graduate student organization leaders to not get paid, and the option of requesting executive board pay has been discussed, but he does not support amending the constitution to allow officer pay during his tenure.

“I’m grateful to work with people who volunteer so much of their time,” he said.

Both ASMSU and RHA officers are paid on a tier system, with the number of hours worked setting the guide for how much each position earns.

In RHA, the president and vice president positions are paid more than other positions, and each is required to work a minimum of between 20 to 23 hours per week to earn pay, RHA President Sarah Pomeroy said.

RHA has 15 seats on its executive board, in addition to paid positions in campus movie rental offices and Campus Center Cinemas. Pay begins at the Michigan minimum wage of $7.40 per hour but can increase to $7.80 depending on the position. For each year members return to a paid position, they receive a 2 percent raise, she said.

ASMSU General Assembly Chairman Steve Marino said officers have been paid as far back in ASMSU’s history as he knows, and salaries have not changed in at least 10 years. The ASMSU chairman receives a semester stipend of $3,120 for 20 hours of work per week, and the group’s six vice chairs earn $2,664 per semester for 18 hours of work per week.

The officers do not receive additional pay for any overtime work, Marino said.

The COGS constitution, last amended in 2010, contains a clause stating COGS officers
and representatives will not receive compensation unless a referendum vote is held to allow for future officer salaries — either by adjusting the council’s about $234,000 budget or requesting
an “extremely modest” tax increase, Fletcher said.

Fletcher said he does not disagree with receiving compensation in principle, saying the time and effort many officers put into COGS is “meritorious” of payment. But the timing of requesting payment during a tough economy would not sit well, he said.

Marino said making such a constitutional change also might be politically difficult, but added COGS members should be paid for their work. Pomeroy said the people who run for officer positions aren’t in it for the money and more to gain experience in student leadership.

“If I wasn’t getting paid, I would still be involved with RHA,” she said.

“I would still be here.”

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