A job with hefty perks

In a typical year, the Student Government president and vice president are chosen by fewer than 3,000 students. That means less than 15 percent of students are deciding who gets a list of benefits equaling almost $18,000 per person for the year.

Both the president and vice president receive free tuition and general fees as well as room and board for the academic year, according to university records. Additionally, they both receive a $375 book scholarship and share a reserved parking space on campus. The current tuition and fee benefit is $9,054; the room and board is currently $8,246.

The money for tuition and on-campus living is given as a waiver to the university. However, if the student does not live on campus, the money is given proportionally in a monthly stipend.

Former Dean of Students Michele Martinez said giving a stipend to the top student positions is not uncommon among public universities.

“Over 80 percent of state colleges and universities pay their top student leaders, student body presidents, in some way, shape or form,” Martinez said.

SG President Paulette Bongratz said in an email interview that the benefits are “adequate” because the president must be focused on their job.

In fact, a requirement of being SG president is not holding another job while in office.

Martinez said holding the position of president or vice president is a full-time responsibility and should be the priority for the students in those roles.

“It really is a job and a big job,” she said. “They represent the student voice in many aspects across campus . . . [the] president and vice president wouldn’t be able to hold a job outside and be able to do all those things.”

Bongratz said she has found it hard to “make ends meet” without any additional income.

“While tuition is waived, presidents are still responsible for paying for fees and in my case health insurance,” Bongratz said. “The $200 a week given as a stipend for the [expected] 35 to 40 hours of work that is in our job description may not be enough to cover living expenses and the fees it is meant to.”

In a phone interview, Tion Taylor, president of the Black Student Union (BSU), said he agrees the SG president and vice president should be paid a stipend, but he doesn’t agree with the amount.

He said he feels the book scholarship should be done away with.

“Although I think the compensation is a bit excessive, I do think that some type of compensation is needed,” he said.

Taylor also said larger student organizations such as BSU, Latino Student Union, and Campus Activities and Programming should also be more recognized by receiving bigger compensation because running a group that size means the leader is “putting in more time and effort” than other student organizations.

Martinez said most universities don’t give a stipend to other student organization executives.

“I think UT is unique in that aspect,” she said.

But with the bi-weekly stipend of $40 he receives from UT as president of BSU, Taylor said “in no way, shape or form is that enough for the time and effort I have put into the organization.”

Bongratz said leading a student group is not about being compensated, but about serving the students. She would be SG president “regardless of receiving benefits.”

Scott Mazzola, president of the College Republicans, said he knows it can be difficult to run a student organization, but compensation should not be a factor because students are passionate about their organizations.

“These orgs are started and run by exceptional students who want to [be] involved and help others,” he said.

SG president and vice president deserve the stipend, according to Mazzola, and the benefits are not an “extravagant prize” that the students abuse.

“Athletes and academics get scholarships – to me the SG president job fits right in with that,” Mazzola said. “. . . I think that it is a fitting reward. Trying to take that away demeans not only the position of SG president but also speaks to the way our university feels about SG in general: not important.”

Martinez said students taking leadership roles should be passionate about who or what they are representing.

Additionally, she said other organizations like BSU are only working with a portion of the student population whereas SG is representing the entire student body, which is why their stipend is larger.

Taylor said if SG leaders are not performing their job efficiently or “lacking” in their effectiveness, then they should not receive the full stipend and other student organization leaders who are making a difference should be rewarded a larger amount.

“I challenge the UT administration and the Student Activities Committee to investigate which student organization leaders are getting stipends and whether they are needed,” he said.