Imagine opening your bank account at the beginning of the month, struggling to figure out how to budget the little pay you receive so that it lasts more than two weeks. Imagine having to wait an entire month to know how much money you’re going to have to pay for groceries, rent or any other expense a Chatham University student might face.
This situation is not a hypothetical; it is the reality for many of Chatham’s student workers. This situation is why the pay period across the board at Chatham should be shifted from a monthly to a biweekly format, and the starting wage for all student worker positions should be raised to at least $11 per hour.
As a student employee in the Office of Admissions, I’ve noticed many of my coworkers expressing frustrations about the fact that we’re only paid once a month at a starting wage of $9.50 per hour. Infrequency and insufficiency of pay has left many student workers without spending money for extended periods of time.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, biweekly pay periods are the most common format in the country. Additionally, this frequency of pay is used by other local higher education institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Point Park University, to name a few, according to their websites and student employee manuals.
The demand for biweekly pay at Chatham is not a new phenomenon. In fall 2023, Chatham Student Government (CSG) passed a resolution to advocate for reducing the time between paychecks for student workers. As recently as fall 2025, CSG passed a follow-up motion reiterating its support for more frequent pay due to a lack of progress on the matter since the initial resolution in 2023. The position of CSG is a clear reflection of the importance of this issue for the student body, especially student workers.
Pennsylvania’s paltry minimum wage of $7.25 per hour lends validity to the unlivable $9.50 per hour that most Chatham student workers’ compensation starts at. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has been set at $7.25 per hour since 2009, despite inflation increasing by 51% (Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index) and the cost of rent in Pittsburgh increasing by 42% (Pennsylvania Association of Realtors) since 2009. These statistics portray a broader economic trend toward a higher cost of living that wages have not kept up with.
Considering this, Chatham should be willing to assist its students to face a country more expensive than it was 16 years ago. Chatham’s commitment to economic sustainability shouldn’t just extend to the bottom line of its administration, but also to the students who live, study and work there.
Frequency of pay is also an incredibly important issue for the financial health of student workers. Even if the current starting wage of $9.50 per hour was left unchanged, moving to a biweekly pay period would still be incredibly helpful for personal budgeting purposes. While the monthly pay period is likely less costly and may be more convenient for the University’s payroll, it is a source of unnecessary stress for student workers that overshadows the benefits that the system serves for Chatham.
Changing the pay period from monthly to biweekly would not only assist with student financial stability but also would reduce stress related to restrictive budgeting and improve the mental health and morale of student workers. A happier student worker is more likely to maintain good productivity at their job.
Student workers deserve to be fairly and properly compensated for the important work they do for the University. Without their mental and physical labor, the burden of maintaining important University functions such as admissions, library services, residence life, student engagement and others would be left to our already underpaid and arguably under-appreciated staff and faculty.
Chatham’s track record with labor rights is not a good one, shown best by the administration’s refusal to recognize the Chatham Faculty United union, depriving our faculty of their right to collective bargaining.
I am hopeful that with the changing of the guard and the beginning of Dr. Lisa Lambert’s presidency, the administration might reconsider its reservations on allowing employees – student or otherwise – to live and work with fairness and dignity.
