La Voz

Media Credit: Joanna Law At tutorial centre, Harold Griffin is tutoring Vy Mai, a first year accounting major, english

Media Credit: Joanna Law At tutorial centre, Harold Griffin is tutoring Vy Mai, a first year accounting major, english

Media Credit: Joanna Law At tutorial centre, Kamaran Tahvilian, a De Anza student, is studying accounting

Media Credit: Joanna Law Connie Yeung (left), an Econ/buss admin major, is Maschiko Takech (right) ESL

Media Credit: Joanna Law Norman Chua (right), 24, an econ/accounting tutor, is tutoring Kamran Tahvilian (left) accounting

Media Credit: Joanna Law bar chart by Joanna Law for the increase in salary 07 - 08

Student employees at De Anza College will receive a salary raise Jan. 1 due to the increase in the state minimum wage slated for 2008.

Currently, student employees' pay rate ranges from $7.50 to $12.75 per hour. Next year, the pay will range from $8 to $14.75. This will be the first time the pay schedule has increased since 1999, when it was established. "It's long, long overdue," said Diana Alves de Lima, coordinator of the Tutorial and Academic Skills Center.

Rayan Nguyen, 19, business major and financial aid assistant, said his current wage of $10.75 per hour is "decent," but not the best. "It's expensive being a student," he said. "Any additional money helps."

Although the increase gives student employees an incentive to work more hours on campus and fewer off campus, some students focus on their experience as student employees rather than the amount of money they earn.

Connie Yeung, 18, an economics and business administration major, works as a volunteer English tutor. She said the raise does not affect her because the experience has more benefit than the money. During the course of tutoring, she reviews and practices classwork.

"If I want to earn money, I can get a job outside of the school. It's [working as a tutor that] is a good opportunity for me to learn," she said.

"We're lucky to have a dedicated group of student employees who appreciate the educational value and are willing to commit hours to work on campus," Alves de Lima said. Some tutors started off as volunteers due to budget limitations in 2005-06.

Alves de Lima says she hopes the salary increase will bring student employees to commit to working longer hours on campus. The department budgets, which cover operational expenses including student salaries, supplies, printing, travel and mile- age will stay the same. The disproportional changes between budget and expenses may cause constraints to the programs.

"[The] Tutorial Center is hoping to find the funds to cover the increase," Alves de Lima said. "We are working hard to find extra sources of income, and we [are] determined not to cut the tutorial services. We hope the college will recognize the budget impact."

Cindy Castillo, the director of Financial Aid, said the increase in the salary will certainly create an impact.

"Expenses going up always puts constraints on the budget," she said. "The departments have to figure out how to make the most out of the fixed amount of discretional budget every year."

Article Tools