Congress's proposed 90 cent hike in the minimum wage should not have any direct affect on wages at the College, officials at the Student Employment Office say.
The congressional bill, passed August 2 after several months of in-House fighting, is expected to be signed into law within the next few weeks.
The bill increases the national minimum wage from $4.25 per hour to $4.75 beginning on October 1, then to $5.15 in September of 1997.
Presently, the minimum wage on campus is $5.55.
While the hike in minimum wages probably will not affect students, it will probably mean an increase in wages for others at the College, officials said.
Roger Brook, director of Human Resources, said wages will grow in isolated cases in which the proposed minimum wage exceeds the base-rate campus wage.
Brook said there may be pay adjustments in the salaries of non-student employees working as waiters.
Anne Affleck, director of the Student Employment Office, said it would be difficult for Student Employment Office to make short-term adjustments in student pay unless the Finance Office was "mandated by law."
Affleck said the annual budget is set in February and is rarely modified during the course of the year.
Chad Puls, assistant director at Financial Aid, said he doubted the Finance Office would make adjustments in the budget. The Financial Aid office has not "had any discussions about [the wage increase] at all," he said.
Not only did administrators express little concern about the proposed minimum wage increase, but students also said they had no hopes of seeing increases in their paychecks.
Caitlin Foley '97, an employee at Dartmouth Dining Services, said she does not expect any adjustment in student wages.
"I don't see any reason for it," she said.
Brad Ursillo '98, a student manager for Food Court, said most students are satisfied with campus pay. "It's better than working at Subway," he said.
Affleck said although the current minimum wage has been static for over three years, a college minimum wage increase would have little impact on most student employees.
The majority earn more than the base-rate of pay, she said, adding that "a lot of students [earn] in the area of $6.00."
According to Affleck, the national wage increase should gradually impact campus salaries over the next several years.
"What students used to do for $5.55 might fall under a different category," Affleck said.
Affleck said the Student Employment Office plans to survey wage standards in the outside community in order to assure campus salaries are competitive.
