Boston University students, student leaders and administrators said student leaders at BU do not and should not get compensated for their work in the Student Union.
BU falls into the minority on this issue, as more than 71 percent of colleges and universities offer compensation to student leaders for their work, Student Leader Magazine reported in its fall issue.
The report surveyed 355 universities and colleges across the country, asking what kinds of compensation each institution offered its student leaders. Types of compensation range from tickets to the Indianapolis 500 to full tuition reimbursement.
Assistant Dean of Students Allen Ward said BU has never offered financial rewards to students. He said though the Student Leader Magazine survey makes an interesting study, the policy at BU will not change.
“The philosophy is that students become involved in the Student Union because they want to serve their fellow students,” Ward said. “It’s more out of altruism and more about being interested in service and less about compensation. It’s the culture of the student leaders.”
According to the survey, more than 57 percent of responding private universities offer student leader compensation in some form. Of schools in BU’s size range – 10-20 thousand undergraduates — more than 89 percent compensate student leaders.
Northeastern University’s president was reported the highest paid student leader, receiving the equivalent of $24,888.95 in a tuition reimbursement, stipend and several meal vouchers.
Ward previously worked at Florida State University, which he said compensated students for leadership work.
“It was a constant issue,” he said. “You spend a lot of time in those environments haggling out and you revisit it [compensation] every year.”
Student Union President Zachary Coseglia said he and other student leaders should not get reimbursed for their hours working on Union projects.
“I am 100 percent against compensation,” said Coseglia, a College of Communication senior. “As soon as you start compensating, you’re going to get people who are doing it for the wrong reasons.
“It would make elections incredible, and students would be running and jumping at the chance to serve, but I can’t even imagine how nasty the letters to the editor would be,” he said.
Ward said the issue would also be a matter of who among student leaders should get paid. With so many elected leadership positions in BU activities, he said it simply would not be fair if some leaders were getting paid and others were not.
Student Activities Office Director Carolyn Norris said there would also be an issue of where the money to pay student leaders would come from.
“Student leaders are there to be advocates for student issues,” Ward said. “They’re there to advance the arguments and concerns of the students, and they’re there to provide activities that celebrate the campus and provide a community, and I don’t think you need to be paid for that in order to be successful.”
Coseglia said it bothers him when he hears students complaining about the Union’s priorities, adding he thinks compensation would only aggravate that attitude.
“As cheesy as it sounds, it’s not about us — it’s about Joe Student,” he said. “This job is so rewarding because you know you’re doing something for the University and you’re not getting paid for it. You’re a volunteer, and it takes a special person to be a volunteer.”
Vice President of Financial Affairs Carl Woog, a sophomore in the University Professors Program, echoed Coseglia’s views.
“Students should choose their leaders if they see that they can make a positive change, not anything else,” he said. “Before we think of ourselves, we must make serious changes. Student leaders should not be compensated for their work.”
Ward said there are plenty of benefits already in student leadership in the form of exposure and resume-worthy experience. Many students agreed.
“It looks good on their resumes, which should be compensation enough,” said Ross Schwartz, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.
But Coseglia said he doesn’t even put his Union position on his resume.
“That’s not why I’m doing this,” he said. “I am the president because I love BU but I see there are problems and I want to fix them.”
One student said compensation would be fitting because of the amount of time student leaders put into the Union.
“They take a lot of time out of their schedules, and it’s for the school, so I think the school should compensate them,” said Christina Lee, a sophomore in the School of Hospitality Administration.
Other students said compensation would be inappropriate because of the attitudes it would foster and the inequity it would cause.
“It’s a volunteer service,” said CAS freshman Peter Bala. “If someone wants to get paid, they can step down, and I’m sure someone else would be glad to step in and take their place.”
Schwartz said student leaders go into their jobs not expecting to get paid, which is how the system should be run.
“It’s an extracurricular activity, and they’re doing it for the betterment of the school,” he said. “I’m on an RHA and Kesher board [at Hillel] and it takes up a lot of time, but I would never expect to be compensated for that.”
Both Ward and Coseglia said that while the study is interesting, it does not indicate the need for change at BU.
“It would be interesting to see how these student governments work, but at the same time I say, No, that’s not BU,” he said. “What works there would not necessarily work here.”
Woog did leave compensation open for the future, stipulating that it would only be appropriate if the student body thought it was appropriate. He suggested compensation in the form of course credit, rather than tuition reimbursements or straight paychecks.
“Maybe five years from now, but even then it should be non-monetary and watched closely,” he said. “We’re not ready at this time.”
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