• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
      Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
    • No image
      Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See
    • No image
      Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Suzanne Barth Letters to the Editor, OpinionsApril 1, 2015

Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

Today marks the beginning of campaign week, and once again the Wellesley student body is asked to consider the candidates for next year’s College Government Cabinet and the Ballot Initiatives vying for the $11,000 set aside from the student activities fee each year.  For the past four years, the Student Leadership Stipend Committee has campaigned for these funds to raise awareness of Wellesley’s unique policy of not compensating Resident Assistants (RAs) or House Presidents (HPs), and ask for a show of student support for a change in this policy.

This year, after many meetings with college administrators, I am pleased to report that the Student Leadership Stipend Committee has made progress toward our goal.  The Provost’s Budget Committee (PBC) is now reviewing applications for new budget items, including the compensation of RAs and HPs.  While this progress is heartening, we have not yet secured a policy change and have been informed that such a change is unlikely given the importance of other applications to the PBC this year.

Given this uncertainty, the Student Leadership Stipend Committee must once again ask for your vote.  If adopted by the student body, the funds will be distributed equally amongst all Resident Assistants and House Presidents for the 2015-2016 academic year.  Each stipend will serve as a token of gratitude to our tireless student leaders, and as a demonstration of the full-fledged student body support for the application for RA and HP compensation that is now under consideration by the administration.

The time to end Wellesley’s policy of non-compensation of RAs and HPs is now.  RAs and HPs are critical to the successful implementation of first year orientation, roommate mediation, Residence Hall-based community building, resource referring, and countless other essential College functions.  And now, after changes in federal statute Title IX last year, all RAs and HPs are mandatory reporters of sexual assault.  These responsibilities should not be shouldered by a group of volunteers.  These responsibilities make all RAs and HPs important College employees, and each of them should be compensated as such.

A vote for the Student Leadership Stipend (SLS) Committee Ballot Initiative is a vote to end a long-standing discriminatory policy against students of lower socioeconomic status.  A vote for SLS is a vote for all those who have been discouraged from applying to student leader positions because they could not afford the unpaid time-commitment of the job.  A vote for SLS is a vote for a better Wellesley.

Sincerely,
Suzanne Barth

President, Student Leadership Stipend Committee

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleLetter To The Editor
Next articleThe need for a conservative safe space

You may also like

The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration

Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals

No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top