As the number of quarantine days rises across the nation, the University of Wyoming has made a landmark decision in an effort to negate student-employee’s monetary losses.
With campus being closed down and all classes being moved online, the need for in person student workers has greatly diminished, and so has the earnings of those student workers. To combat this, the University of Wyoming announced a $2 million agenda aimed at “providing financial security for students for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester.
By far the largest step in this new agenda is the assignment of an estimated $1.5 million in order to pay the Universities’ roughly 2,200 student workers. This apparently includes both students working online and students who can no longer work, but this is unclear.
“As students were encouraged not to return to Laramie, many of our students no longer have access to their positions in dining, athletics, the rec center and so on,” Acting President Neil Theobald said in the April 1, press release. “Students who work while in college tend to be lower income, on average. We are very concerned that many of these students are at high risk to drop out of school due to losing their campus jobs.”
A new financial matching program worth a combined $500,000 called ‘Pokes Make the Difference’ was also announced by the UW Foundation’s Board of Directors. The main purpose of this fund is to create an emergency fund for students in need.
“Many UW students have been dramatically impacted by this event, particularly those students who faced financial and food insecurity before the effects of this crisis took hold. For many, the university has served as the primary resource for not only educational needs, but also critical amenities such as housing, food and technology. Our students have entrusted us with their well-being, and we will not let them down” Theobald said Wednesday announcing the program.
For more information about this program, go to www.uwyo.edu/studentemergencyfund. Students can learn about the application process for these emergency funds on the UW Dean of Students website. Application is available from April 3-April 17.
While the intention of such a massive announcement is undoubtedly good-natured, many students still have questions about how the process will work.
Lucy Bennett, a UW student working for the LeaRn program as a Supplemental Instructor, is one such student.
“It’s kind of hard to decide because, on one hand it probably could be used for other resources later down the line, but I think that (UW’s) commitment is really to the students right now. They’ve said that they are giving more paychecks for students, which could really help some of them. I’m not really in a position to say that I rely on every paycheck, but other people do. So, it is really going to be beneficial to them as opposed to having to go and apply for a job in a supermarket where they risk infection, especially if they are immune-compromised. I think overall it will be a good decision and will make students realize that the University has their back as well as helping them to decide to stay in school in light of the financial stress something like (this outbreak) can cause.”
But with such an uncertain future ahead, many questions remain unanswered about how this will affect students in the next semesters.
“I do think that (the lack of funds from a job) could be a problem going into next year. Maybe people realizing how things are not as set in stone as they should be, so they might take more time off next year to try and get ready to pay their student fees before they actually go to school. I think people in my situation (working online) aren’t worried about it. We are just cruising along.”
But, as of the writing of this story, the reception of this program has been overwhelmingly positive.
“What they are doing now is a good little band aid. It just all depends on the timeline of this outbreak and when it is going to end.”
