Work-study students’ pay rises
Federal minimum wage
increases to $5.15 an hour
By Ted Taylor
Assignment Reporter
Cha-ching, cha-ching.
That’s the sound minimum-wage
earners across the country heard at
midnight Labor Day as the federal
minimum wage made its last
increase, at least for a while, to
$5.15 an hour.
The 40-cent raise from $4.75 an
hour is the last of a two-step plan
that began when President Clinton
signed the increase into law Aug. 20,
1996. It is the first increase since
1991.
However, Monday’s pay increase
for minimum wagers didn’t affect
work-study students at UNL. They
received raises in August, said
Marcia Phelps, director of Career
Services.
She said that the university knew
minimum-wage increase would take
effect and decided to let employees
start the semester at $5.15 an hour.
“It not only resulted in a new
starting rate for students but it also
increased the wages for quite a num
ber of students,” she said. “Across
the board, the increase is pretty
extensive.”
Now, a person working full time
on minimum wage will earn $10,300
a year, which is a $1,800 increase
from annual earnings they received
when making $4.25 an hour from
April 1991 to October 1996.
That annual income, however, is
only $315 above the 1996 poverty
threshold for a family raising one
child under 18 years old.
Phelps said the recent wage
increase was positive for the student
employees, but maybe not so for
full-time workers in the labor force.
“I think it’s a nice increase. It is
really a step in the right direction,”
*she said. “But if you think of the
people in the full-time work force
who are trying to support families
Wage Raise r
The federal minimum wage has increased
steadily since its inception in 1938. The
latest increase took effect Monday, bringing
the minimum wage up to $5.15 per hour.
1- $o
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
T83f
Source: AP
—it’s not going to be enough.”
But it’s just enough to help sup
port the life of a recent college grad
uate waiting for graduate school.
Chris Hugus, 23, a part-time
employee at Homer’s Records and
Tapes, 1339 O St., said that it would
be tough to live on minimum wage,
but he could do it.
“I just wouldn’t be able to buy
the food I want to eat and I definite
ly wouldn’t be able to buy the guitar
strings I need.”
Hugus said that he also has
another higher paying job, but his
paychecks at Homer’s are “enough
to pay the bills.”
The minimum wage, which start
Aaron Steekelberg/DN
ed at 25 cents, was first implement
ed in 1938\as a result of the Fair
Labor Standards Act. It has steadily
increased since then as Presidents
Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy,
Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Bush and
Clinton have all signed into law min
imum-wage increases.
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Office, Service Counter 107C, Canfield
Administration Building. Please have your
student ID available. If you have previously
requested directory restriction on a Change of
Address Form, you do not need to take any
further action.
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33rd and o^i ofCo^nuingStudles
Greene informs ASUN
of fair judicial policies
By Brad Davis
Assignment Reporter
The newly appointed director of
student judicial affairs continued
his crusade to inform students that
they will all be treated equally when
dealing with his office when he
went to ASUN’s Wednesday meet
ing.
Charles Greene, who met with
all student athletes last week, this
week challenged senators of the
Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska to “make
the university do what it is supposed
to do.”
“We all have to work together to
make the university a continued
place of respect,” Greene said.
Greene came to UNL as a schol
arship athlete in 1963 and said the
university gave him an opportunity
to get an education.
“I have a passion for this place,”
he said, “I believe in the educational
opportunity it offers.”
He said the success in his life,
which included winning gold and
bronze medals in the 1968
Olympics, and working for both the
Armed Services and the Special
Olympics, was due to his experi
ences at UNL.
“Everything I consider to be a
success in my life, I owe to here,”
Greene said. “I want students to feel
the same love for this place - but
they have to take care of this place.”
Taking care of the university
includes following the rules in the
student code of conduct. The code,
distributed to all students in a pam
phlet during Big Red Welcome, will
be applied fairly to all people -
including athletes, Greene said.
In dealing with students who
have not followed those guidelines,
Greene said he will try to handle his
job with compassion, while realiz
ing “young people make mistakes.”
“If it’s not a violent offense, we
should be able to find a way to keep
the student at the university and
help him or her accept the responsi
bilities and accountabilities to what
they do,” Greene said.
Greene said he will implement
“creative” new measures to deal
with students who have broken the
code of conduct. “I will try to come
up with community service which
reflects what their personalities are,
so they can learn something and
realize how fortunate they are to be
here.”
If a student wrote bad checks to
pay university bills, for example,
Greene said he would arrange for
the offending student to work com
munity service hours with Career
Services so the student could gain
experience with finances.
Greene is able to work with stu
dents who have violated the code of
conduct because of a restructuring
in the Judicial Affairs office. James
Griesen, vice chancellor of student
affairs, and a task force eliminated
separate judicial boards for greeks
and residence halls, and created a
new position, which Greene filled.
ASUN President Curt Ruwe said
UNL was fortunate to have Greene
as part of the administration.
“He is an outstanding man for
the position. He’s a great role model
and a Nebraska alum,” Ruwe said.
In other ASUN business:
■ Ruwe said several greek
houses would be contacted regard
ing violations of the new rules for
student seating at football games.
Students were seen standing on the
seats by ASUN senator Clint
Richards, who brought the issue to
the senate’s attention.
■ ASUN’s next meeting will be
6:30 Wednesday on the green space
behind the Nebraska Union.
Student group leaders will meet
afterward to focus on recruitment
for student organizations and stu
dent retention.
■ Bylaw A was passed, which
requires senators to attend two stu
dent organization meetings each
month in a continuing effort to
reach more students.
I
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vvwwainl.edti/DailvNeh/
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