approved October 4, 1991
amended April 12, 1992
amended Spring 2007 from the 2000-2001 Policy Pages and the General Guidelines
Reasons for the Existence of Stipends
1. To compensate work done by students in managerial/administrative positions that require extensive responsibility, knowledge, and time commitment.
2. To allow students on work-study to fill these positions as a way of funding a financial aid package.*
3. To encourage a high level of professionalism and accountability in stipend-receiving positions.
Stipends over wages reasoning:
SFC does NOT pay wages, but awards stipends which must be stated in the organization’s charter. Money spent on wages can be problematic because of over time charges and other complications. Stipends help to prevent debt by setting a monetary limit to how much a student can receive.
Guidelines for the Creation of Stipended Positions
Certain conditions must be satisfied before SFC can award stipends. These conditions are:
1. The position is a managerial one which requires variable hours.
2. The stipend position is a position that has either existed for 4 or more years as a stipend position or was created by a restructuring of an organization which was pre-approved by the SFC.
3. The existence of the organization is dependent upon this position, in other words, the position(s) has been proven as an essential for the organization to function.
4. Positions must be justified as well as written in the charter of the organization. The position must also be present in the budget.
5. Students should realize that they will not be paid for exactly for the amount of work they have done; the stipend will work to offset.
6. Labor produced by student positions must be justifiable as an immediate need for the welfare of the Oberlin College Community as well as the group they are servicing.
7. Student positions will also be held accountable to the public for the responsibilities given to them.
8. Organization advisors, SFC treasurers and a member of the controller’s office must sign off on the stipend issues before it is given to the student.
9. The group must show proof of support from senate, the faculty and their advisor in monitoring the positions for efficiency and completion.
10. The labor must be open to all students on campus. (I.e. the services must NOT be provided to a limited group of students. [Try your best to liken this to the “student foot mat” example mentioned at the meeting.])
11. If it’s an option, students CANNOT get credit as well as monetary compensation for the same post. (Either credits or money, their pick)
General guidelines for Stipend Positions
1. All recipients of stipends must submit performance reports to the SFC at least twice a semester, showing that the duties of the stipend position are being performed reasonably.
2. Stipends are not mandatory. The stipend grant may be revoked upon discovery of incompetence or upon the recipient's failure to perform the duties of the stipend office. The SFC must be informed when any stipend recipient is being considered for removal from office.
3. The maximum stipend amount funded by the SFC will not exceed the maximum work-study compensation funded by the Office of Financial Aid. Once the stipend amount has been set, the SFC may adjust it for any reason.
4. The SFC may withhold stipends at any time if it believes there is good reason to do so. The Student Treasurer is responsible for making sure that stipend payments do not exceed the approved grant.
*The SFC does not have the authority to designate a position a work-study position. The Financial Aid Office is the only college entity that may decide to grant work-study funds for any purpose.