As Student Congress’ rules and judiciary committee votes on a proposal today to remove the stipend for the student body vice president, committee members must keep accessibility in mind and vote down the proposal.
The stipend makes up for the opportunity cost of turning down jobs and alternative sources of revenue in order to take the position of vice president.
About 43 percent of undergraduates receive need-based financial aid. Removing the stipend would make the position less accessible for these students — and also students who do not receive financial aid but cannot afford to forego a paying job.
And students who are financially secure are expected to give the money back to the community in a meaningful way. Vice President Rachel Myrick has reinvested all of her money in projects such as the Student Enrichment Fund and the University Dialogues program.
Additionally, it would be unfair to ask a student to perform the full-time duties of student body vice president without pay.
The responsibilities of the position warrant as much — if not more — attention than coursework or additional extracurricular activities. It is only fair that the student be paid just as an employee would if the duties were assigned to a full-time staff member.
The University’s student government is not outrageous in its officer stipends. The vice president’s yearly stipend is $2,400 — only 0.22 percent of the student organization fee. And many other public N.C. institutions pay their vice presidents more. N.C. State University’s student body vice president receives $4,440 per year.
Paying the vice president is not an unreasonable cost if it means maintaining accessibility in a position that demands a lot from our elected student leaders.