Student wages top CSSA agenda

By Juzane Johnson, On-Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, November 11, 1998

The California State Student Association is the largest student organization in the world because it represents all 340,000 students in the California State University system, said Mette Adams, CSSA chairwoman.

CSSA, founded in 1959, is comprised of student representatives from each campus in the system.

This past weekend, those representatives convened at San Diego State to discuss the student wage issue.

All but four or five campuses in the system pay student employees the federal wage of $5.15 an hour rather than the state wage of $5.75 an hour.

One student representative voiced concern over the fact that international and work study students have no choice but to work on campus, whereas other students are free to seek higher paying jobs off campus.

According to CSU Interim Senior Director Sam Strafaci, the Chancellor's Office does not mandate that each campus pay students the federal wage, it just gives them the option to do so.

The CSSA has passed a resolution requesting the Chancellor's office to issue a systemwide mandate requiring each campus to pay the state wage.

Estimated cost for doing so is approximately $2.7 million annually, Strafaci said.

Hector Barajas of Cal State Los Angeles said that professors should earn pay like students earn grades.

At this time, CSSA has decided to remain neutral in regards to this issue.