The RSR changes are detrimental to students
Photo courtesy of Hofstra University
Students have complained about the changing hours of duty for Resident Safety Representatives (RSRs) and their impact on student safety, but the RSRs who must sit behind glass panes for eight hours a night, making less than a hundred dollars per graveyard shift, have become the misunderstood victims. The impact this change has had on RSRs themselves has gone unreported.
On Aug. 25, Beth McGuire, the executive director of campus living, emailed students, explaining that RSRs would no longer be on duty 24/7. Instead, RSRs would be on duty only from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. Typical RSR shifts last 4-8 hours.
This change hit RSRs hard as they had no prior knowledge of the change in hours. While RSRs could previously squeeze in a shift between classes or have a few daytime shifts during the week, this change meant that only RSRs who clocked in at 5 p.m. would avoid graveyard shifts.
The change in policy has caused a limited availability of daytime shifts, meaning that many RSRs mainly work night shifts. They work from dusk to dawn on weekdays and still have classes to attend in the morning.
The impact of this is startling – working all night either means sleeping all day or not sleeping at all. According to Healthier Workforce UK, “the body doesn’t have sufficient time to recharge” when graveyard shifts interfere with the ability to get quality sleep. This, in turn, causes a “risk of mental health issues, such as depression and mood disorders increasing.”
Sophomore Phoenix Schulden explained why they chose to quit their job as RSR. After enjoying their time as an RSR in the spring of 2023, the change in policy this fall semester caused their mental health to deteriorate.
“I wasn’t getting enough sleep for the day, so I was really overly anxious, and I was falling into a deeper depression,” Schulden said.
They claimed that all their shifts were past midnight, with most of their shifts being 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
“The hours that I was working, I couldn’t maintain them,” they said. “I couldn’t balance it with schoolwork and just being a person. It just made it really hard to function.”
They quit earlier in October but know several other RSRs who have quit as well. Before they put in their two weeks, they claimed they were constantly asked to pick up more shifts to cover others who had also quit after having enough of the strain of the job.
For a job that Hofstra requires to be constantly staffed during their hours of duty, Hofstra does little to support their employees. RSRs make a measly 12-13 dollars an hour. On Long Island, the minimum wage is 15 dollars an hour.
Many jobs on campus offer less than minimum wage, which is legal according to the U.S Department of Labor under The Fair Labor Standards Act. This provision allows employers to pay full-time students at least 75% of minimum wage on college campuses.
Perhaps one could argue that $12 an hour is reasonable compensation for other on-campus jobs that require little effort by their employees. Hofstra demands a service from RSRs, who play a vital role in maintaining campus safety, and with that role comes lapses in mental health. Paying so much under minimum wage for such a taxing job leaves many wondering if the 4-to-8-hour shifts are even worth it.
If more RSRs quit, then it will be harder and harder to cover the gaps they leave behind. Not having enough RSRs on duty is a security risk to the hundreds of students living on campus who have already been failed by the change in policy.
If Hofstra really values their workers, as well as the safety of students who dorm on campus, they need to recognize the importance of the role that RSRs play as employees. Demanding full-time students to constantly work graveyard shifts for a pathetic $13 [NS1] an hour just goes to show how little they respect their student workers. Refusing to adequately compensate them for their sleep deprivation, mental health toll and energy may not be illegal under federal law, but it is ethically dubious at best.
