Should the success of a student organization come from the financial sacrifice of its leaders? Clubs like the Entertainment Committee (EC), The Stute, Stevens Institute of Technology Television and Film club (SITTV), the Student Government Association (SGA), and Castle Point Radio (WCPR), among others, require a hefty time commitment from their members, especially those in leadership positions, for the events and services they put on. Yet, students are not paid for the countless hours they put in. This brings us to the question: is it time for Stevens to start paying students for their work? Techfest Director Olivia Scott, The Stute’s Editor-in-Chief Sanjana Madhu, and SITTV President Lennox Kolics weigh in on what the time commitment looks like in their organizations currently, and how payment would change the game moving forward.
EC is well known for its diverse range of events offered to the Stevens Undergraduate community. Entirely student-run, EC coordinates events and offers subsidized tickets and transportation to things like Broadway shows, concerts, sporting events, and more, to make outings in New York City and other locations more affordable. On campus specifically, EC puts on some of the largest events in the academic year, including the Holiday Tree Lighting, Founder’s Day Ball, and Techfest. And yet, it struggles to fill its E-board. In the words of Scott, senior Business and Technology major and Techfest Director, the truth is that the club offers “Too much work and not enough rewards” to make it feasible for students. “Over the past couple of years, the scope of EC has extended past what students can handle while pursuing an education full-time,” Scott elaborated in an email interview with The Stute. While EC brings all sorts of fun events and experiences to the undergraduate community, it comes at the expense of students who could be investing their time elsewhere. “Certain leadership positions require a minimum of 10 hours/week however, we have clocked weeks where students have been working 30-40 hours for EC on top of being a full-time student, working an internship/job, etc. At other Universities, these positions are often filled by full-time staff or paid student workers.” Despite the benefits EC offers to the student body, planning the 25-30 events a semester that Stevens expects has “become more of a burden than fun” on its leaders.
Members at The Stute similarly understand the dedication, commitment, and extensive planning that goes into having a successful organization. The Stute puts out nearly a thousand copies of a 10 to 12 page print publication weekly for both Fall and Spring Semester terms, which requires a talented yet diverse team of photographers, copyeditors, writers, layout editors, as well as other editors and the E-board itself to make the paper a reality. Even for those who have not experienced this process firsthand, it is evident from both the physical paper, weekly newsletter, and the online presence at thestute.com and on various social media platforms, that The Stute as an organization demands massive amounts of time from its contributing members. Madhu, Editor-in-Chief and former Managing Editor of The Stute has been a part of the organization since her freshman year here at Stevens. In her three-going-on-four years of firsthand experience, Madhu tells, “A great deal of time and effort goes into coordinating articles, interviewing sources, doing the layout of the paper, etc.” This ultimately makes working at the newspaper “as time-consuming as a job” and as such, “it makes sense that some schools pay their newspaper staff” for the work they put in. A similar sentiment to Scott, Madhu adds, “And at the end of the day, we’re still students enrolled in difficult courseloads” who have commitments to other clubs on campus as well.
For SITTV’s President Kolics, the general consensus is clear. “If Stevens/other organizations would have to pay professionals to do the work we are doing if we weren’t offering our services, it only makes sense for us to be paid for doing that work.” SITTV documents Stevens’ history, and as Kolics points out, “without us, most clubs wouldn’t have a reliable way to record and livestream their events.” There are often several events a week for SITTV to film, the hours of which are equivalent to that of a part-time job. The reality is, as Kolics frames it, “Most people don’t have that much time to spare to do what is, quite frankly, free labor.” Beyond documenting, live streaming, and the set up and take down of equipment involved at each event it covers, SITTV also requires a large amount of time from its members for their editing and processing services in order to put out quality work. Similar to EC and The Stute, SITTV has reached the point where, in certain leadership positions, it has surpassed the commitment level of a club and become reminiscent of a job.
Given that these organizations require an extensive commitment from those in higher-level leadership positions, it makes sense that students would ask for financial compensation for their work. Historically, not having any compensation has caused members of these organizations, and those of similar ilk, to step down from their positions—or even leave these organizations altogether—due to the steep opportunity cost involved.
Paying students who hold demanding leadership positions is not a new concept at the undergraduate level; many colleges throughout the country do so in order to fairly compensate students. Prior to the Fall of 2021, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) provided stipends ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 annually for those in executive roles of Student Government, Student Finance Board, and the College Union Board. Effective in Fall 2021, these stipends were set to be brought down to $5,500 — a drastic reduction that more closely resembles the $3,200 average compensation for student leaders in similar positions nationwide. Southwest of Hoboken, George Washington University (GW) also provides scholarships to students involved with certain student organizations like WRGW, their student-run radio station, and the Cherry Tree Yearbook, according to their website. In 2022, the president and vice president of the Student Association at GW were each provided $11,250 for the academic year. In a statement from GW spokesperson Crystal Nosal, “The University provides awards to recognize and honor the time, energy and passion that student leaders dedicate to specific roles in order to make meaningful contributions to the greater GW community.” Ultimately, providing such scholarships “makes these roles accessible to a greater number of students” which is not the case at Stevens currently.
Naturally, there are benefits and drawbacks to this system. Providing scholarships or stipends would foremost lead to more financial stability and accountability. “Student leaders would be able to comfortably contribute their time and energy to their org without the worry of how that commitment impacts their finances.” Scott went on to explain that the financial motive would “encourage leaders to perform better.” However, Madhu concedes that “it might slightly take away from the camaraderie and enjoyment of participating in the organization.” Currently, students put in the hours of work because they enjoy what they do, and adding a stipend or scholarship component might change their motives. “I would hate to see students lose passion for their clubs because they start to view them as a ‘job’ and not something they enjoy,” Madhu closes.
“Our campus is growing and Stevens has ongoing efforts to achieve equity, making this a pertinent part of the overall conversation” Kolics notes. “Wanting monetary compensation isn’t selfish, nor does it defeat the purpose of our organizations whose core appeal is a genuine interest in their respective realms. GBM’s offer fun spaces to connect and learn, while outside work is just that – work. This is about knowing your worth and asking for it to be respected.”
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