Update on Monday, April 13 with responses from Donna McGalliard, executive director for University Housing.
In the wake of COVID-19-related housing closures, resident advisors and resident mentors at NC State say they are no longer being fairly compensated by University Housing. While their residents have moved off campus, RAs and RMs continue to work largely in remote capacities.
Some RAs and RMs were told in trainings with University Housing that they cannot speak to the media. For this reason, several students spoke under the condition of anonymity.
In a typical semester, these students act as role models, host events and supervise other students in resident halls. RAs are compensated for this work through a stipend received on a biweekly basis, along with free on-campus housing and a meal plan.
However, most students, including RAs and RMs, have moved off campus. This means that while RAs have continued to receive stipends, most no longer benefit from free housing or dining. RMs similarly receive stipends, but do not receive free housing or dining benefits in the first place.
Cat Cobb*, a third-year studying industrial engineering and Spanish, is an RA at Owen Hall. Of the 20 student workers in her staff, 18 have moved off campus and are now only receiving a stipend for the work they do.
“I think it’s fair to say that a majority of RAs are no longer receiving compensation in the form of housing and the meal plan,” Cobb said. “I want to preface all of this by saying I’m lucky enough to be at home … but I know a bunch of RAs that aren’t. They’re suddenly having to worry about … things that were previously taken care of by housing.”
Cobb said RAs are now expected to work approximately 10 hours a week, and she receives $100 every two weeks. This translates to about $5 an hour, lower than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Previously, Cobb estimated the total compensation, including housing and dining benefits, to be approximately $14 per hour.
On Tuesday, March 31, Cobb and other RAs wrote an email to University Housing expressing a desire to see either the stipend increased or work hours cut back. As of Sunday, April 12, she has not received a response to the email.
Donna McGalliard, executive director for University Housing, said in an email on Monday, April 13, that there are no plans to increase stipends. However, RAs no longer have to perform certain duties, and will continue to be paid through May, though their work is expected to be done on April 26.
“At this time, there are no plans to increase the stipend amounts of our student staff,” McGalliard said. “We have identified specific virtual components to the RA position to provide opportunity for resident engagement. Because our student staff are not on campus, they are no longer responsible for tasks such as serving on duty, checkouts and room inspections for closing, and end-of-year tasks to help shift building use for the summer.”
Another RA, speaking under the condition of anonymity, said while students that come from upper-middle class backgrounds may be equipped to deal with this pandemic, an increase in pay would greatly benefit students who come from less affluent families.
“The extra money can be used by many RAs for numerous payments such as rent, food, student loans and many other financial struggles college students face,” the RA said. “The failure by the department to fairly compensate RAs reinforces the fear that many students from working-class families feel, which is that college is only for those in the upper-middle class who can afford it.”
Part of new job expectations is holding virtual events for residents; however, many RAs and RMs see these events as unproductive and unnecessary.
“Resident attendance has been pretty difficult for these events, because frankly, I don’t think residents are very worried about their RAs right now,” Cobb said. “It’s especially hard to get resident engagement because we don’t really have any incentives, like we can’t provide food or anything … I think the most attendance that anyone on my staff has had at any event is 5 residents.”
McGalliard said that responsibilities of RAs and RMs include the following: staff meetings, virtual office hours, one-on-one meetings with residents, and various activities. The purpose, McGalliard said, is to maintain a community between residents.
“We see it as our responsibility to continue providing opportunities for engagement to encourage the success of our residents who appreciate the opportunity for ongoing connection, despite not being physically together,” McGalliard said.
Another RA who spoke under the condition of anonymity said via text that work expectations from University Housing have not been helpful or productive.
“These events have to be held online, and they haven’t stated how we should even encourage people to appear except for emailing them,” the RA said. “We have tried to discuss options for increased payment, since our RA workload hasn’t decreased yet our benefits have, and they essentially tell us to quit. Additionally, we have to have weekly office hours, and we don’t even know how people are supposed to contact us for that and what to even do for them.”
Under the condition of anonymity, another RA said over text that the coronavirus pandemic has shown where housing’s priorities are.
“Resident advisors are the first form of contact and resource for residents,” the RA said. “Most residents are not aware of members of housing nor who to contact besides their RA. As the initial contact for residents, it further emphasizes the importance of the RA position. Despite this known fact, housing has neglected our fellow RAs’ needs and complaints while heightening their expectations. It is unethical to require student employees to work under minimum wage and to take advantage of them in such a trying time.”
Savanna Taylor, a third-year studying civil engineering and RA at Tucker Hall, said via text that the ambiguity surrounding compensation and workload is a major problem.
“My frustrations come from the expectation that RAs should continue to commit a significant amount of hours to the position when questions of compensation have not been addressed,” Taylor said. “Wanting us to work below minimum wage in the meantime is not fair.”
One RM speaking under the condition of anonymity said messaging from housing administration has been minimal.
“Communication with housing hasn’t been great, but I think that’s just how the chain of command works,” the RM said. “Housing makes orders, which are distributed to village directors, who distribute it then down to their employees. In general, we haven’t heard much.”
Another RM speaking under the condition of anonymity said over text that this communication problem has led to confusion in terms of work expectations.
“What we’ve basically been told is that we need to do stuff to justify being paid,” the RM said. “I would say the workload is less total, but much more confusing. We are given unclear objectives [and] no real direction in what to do. We have to record the hours of work we do per week, but don’t know what the necessary amount per week is, so it makes things confusing.”
From a communication perspective, McGalliard said the situation surrounding COVID-19 on campus has been rapidly changed.
“University Housing has worked to provide timely and clear information to all of our stakeholders, including student workers,” McGalliard said. “The COVID-19 situation has been rapidly changing, and NC State officials have worked closely with the UNC System and state officials to monitor and make adjustments to operations as needed.”
University Housing has permitted RAs and RMs to quit their positions, but Cobb said it’s a difficult decision whether to do so or not.
“Having to do this whole online programming and having to reach out to residents and having office hours, it’s fairly big on me right now, mostly in terms of maneuvering the stress of online schooling and stuff,” Cobb said. “I’m certain that it’s even more of a stress for the RAs who are suddenly having to worry about living on their own because they can’t go home.”
While individual residence hall directors have been helpful, one RM speaking under the condition of anonymity said University Housing administrative staff seems to be taking advantage of student workers.
“I tend to think that housing is big on taking advantage of students in every capacity,” the RM said. “They take advantage of good people who care, and this is an example of that. To be fair, they gave us the option to resign when stuff had changed, but some people need the money. It’s not always a viable option.”
*Editor’s note: Cat Cobb is a former staff columnist for Technician.
