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LETTERS
Two objections raised against requirement Since I was "outed" as a visible critic of the Christian school requirement, I would like to correct two possible misunderstandings. I did not claim that every person who comes to Calvin takes a pay cut; I was only referring to the three outstanding candidates who recently rejected our department's offer of employment. One might also think that I am primarily opposed to the requirement because of hiring difficulties. However, my primary objections are principal not pragmatic. Let me briefly offer two objections. 1. The requirement is a clear violation of Kuyper's sphere-sovereignty: school choice is in the parent sphere, not the employer sphere. 2. The requirement is unreasonable given Calvin's stated purpose of becoming a broadly reformed institution (see Calvin's expanded mission statement). The Christian school requirement is a Christian Reformed tradition not a reformed tradition.
On-campus jobs need fair wages I just paid my last tuition bill ever to Calvin College. Three years after coming to Calvin, I am completely broke, dreading the end of my six-month loan payment grace period, and perplexed as to why my on-campus job pays so poorly. Almost every trip to Meijer shows signs for cashier positions starting at $8.00 and up. Ahh, how wonderful, I think, to make that much money! I hear that American friends that restaurant staff in Grand Rapids can make a killing on tips. But for foreign students, there are no such options. Our only choice for legal employment while studying in the United States is on-campus. Calvin boasts that 1,200 of its students are employed on campus. We are the labor tying this campus together, yet we earn less than is offered for positions in the “real world” requiring little experience, education, or responsibility. Calvin uses a four-tiered scale system for student employees with starting hourly pay ranging from $5.15 to $6.10. A couple fallacies of the current system come to mind. Students transferring to a different department on campus cannot retain the seniority in the pay scale from their previous job. We start over at the lowest pay rate even though we have the same employer. In addition, students are necessary for effectively running the campus, yet we are paid below market wages that barely exceed minimum wage. Students may voice complaints about these regulations, but an individual fighting a hierarchical system does not have enough leverage or power to exert his/her position. Think of it: if I tried to bargain for a $6.00 starting wage in food service, they’d tell me to hit the road. This is not a system of negotiation or compromise, but a set of standards and rules that students don’t have the means to challenge. The administration could very likely raise the defense that the current pay levels are a reflection of what Calvin can afford to play its student employees; any raises would be reflected in tuition increases. However, tuition is very undervalued. Yes, you are getting a bargain! Student workers are subsidizing tuition for all students, regardless of where those students work. Many students at Calvin benefit from these tuition subsidies while simultaneously enjoying their advantage as Americans to pursue higher paying off-campus jobs. Other students who are not employed on or off-campus also reap the benefits of the subsidy. While in theory a subsidized tuition is a great left-wing policy, because not all students are not on-campus employees, but all students are paying a lower tuition, the practice breeds inequality rather than equality. So, there’s the dilemma. We work, support and subsidize. We accept pitiful paychecks for long hours and hard work. We wish for equitable pay but stand as individuals facing a system larger than themselves. I believe that change is possible and that student emloyees can demand equitable pay if we are united in our efforts, collective in our decisions and effective in our bargaining. While I’m certainly relieved to see the end of the tuition statements, I sometimes wish for another year or two to accomplish what I believe is necessary for pay equity to reach Calvin’s campus: the unionization of students into a collective assembly of employees who can diligently serve the needs of the campus in return for a fair and just wage.
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