Letter from the Editor: This article by Student Life staff writer Matthew Wallace, an undergraduate student, and the op-ed titled “$15 for all campus workers” by WUGWU member Lacy Murphy, a graduate student, have been intentionally published together to represent the experiences of undergraduate and graduate student workers at Washington University. Both authors are members of Fight for $15, a student group working to raise the minimum wage on campus to $15.

Today I want to ask you a personal question:

How much money do you make?

Most people just got a little nervous just by reading that question. Our financial situation is something we hold very tightly to ourselves for a myriad of reasons. I make $10 per hour working on campus. That’s more than many other undergraduate workers. Many see this number and think that I’m sitting pretty, but the reality is that no matter where I land among other undergraduate jobs, that number is not enough. I don’t say this to be greedy; I say this out of necessity. Undergraduate workers, the vast majority of whom work because they need it to survive while in school, deserve to be paid a living wage in order to truly thrive within Washington University as a student.

I admit that I am very privileged among my peers who also depend on scholarships, grants and student loans, as I have an outside scholarship that covers cost of attendance. That’s tuition, room and board and the extra expenses that the University calculates an average student uses in a typical school year. These extra expenses are dispensed to me by the University, and this semester I received about $2,000. That money is supposed to last the entire semester and cover books, school supplies, emergencies, travel and general life as a college student. As many undergraduates know, that money does not come close to the expense of an entire semester, and so I have to find employment on campus. I view my position as one of the best on campus, but the administration’s reluctance to pay campus workers a fair wage is critically damaging student’s ability to learn.

Every class demands study time. Students can spend upwards of 70 hours a week studying, especially when they begin to take more advanced classes. Every second is precious, and working to put food in your fridge, travel home during the holidays or buy professional clothing for a job interview is an inescapable part of life for a lot of students. We may be able to cut corners on class, but we can’t on work. Students who need to work while in school are at a disadvantage to those who do not, and this large time commitment only further increases the gap between the students of different socioeconomic classes. Being able to study 10-20 hours a week can mean the difference between an A and a C. Even though grades supposedly stop mattering once you get a job, you have to get the job first and grades matter a hell of a lot for that. I’ve stopped keeping track of the job rejections that happened because of my grades. You know what I never lose track of? How many hours I need to work to meet the minimum of necessities. An increase in campus wages would be a tremendous investment for the University, not because it involves more money than they can handle (I’m sure raising wages would do wonders in showing alumni you care and help fundraising efforts), but in the sense that it would allow so many students to do so much more. The better your students are doing, the more value they bring to the University. If you need a more clear definition of a win-win, I can’t imagine one.

The fight for a livable wage is not solely an undergraduate issue. Graduate students and campus workers also deserve a living wage. On campus, right now, there is a movement called the Fight for 15 that is calling for the University to pay all campus workers, undergraduate, graduate and others at least $15 an hour. Washington University has become one of the world’s leading institutions because of the hard work of its students. If the recent fundraising campaign is any indication of the value we bring to the University, then it would be beneficial to all if we were paid a wage that would allow us to live and work to our potential. Wash. U., we aren’t asking for much, just for the opportunity to succeed and to make the school we love even better.

Do the right thing; history has its eyes on all of us.