So sorry for your loss, -t. But glad you're safe.

And, happy birthday, Nutty!

Those stupid boys are lucky Jamie Foxx didn't just kick their butts into court. I wouldn't be surprised if that was actionable, considering it happened at work. (One of my co-workers always leans over to me after my boss rants and walks away, and says, "That's actionable harrassment, you know. I'll witness!")

Quick Question for people who work at Uni/Looniversities:

I am having an argument with the theatre department over work study students. I just feel like what we do is not the way work study is intended to work (or worked at all when I was in school).

First, let me say that we pay students incorrectly anyway. We budget a certain amount, say $500, for a student worker in a certain job (costume intern, Master Electrician, Props Master). Because students have to be paid hourly, basically we make up an hourly rate and a number of hours per week which will equal that budgeted amount.

Now, if a student has work study, HR says that the work study pays 3/4 of the hourly rate and the department pays 1/4.

So what the theatre does is pay the student $500 and then has work study pay them $1500 more. But if the student doesn't have work study they get paid $500.

This all seems wrong and vaguely unethical and unfair to me (especially since it means that some of the students now make more than I do once you multiply their pay times 3!), but I cannot for the life of me articulate why.

Am I going crazy?

I'm very sorry, -t.

Yes, don't come back a weremonkey or something.

Right, knew I was forgetting something. Have a great trip, ita!

Speaking of weremonkies, has anyone heard from Gus lately?

You're not crazy, Sophia -- that's wrong, wrong, wrong (and almost surely illegal on any number of levels). Every uni I've ever worked for pays a normal hourly rate to students (you know, for the actual hours worked!). Whether the student has work-study or not is a matter for the department budget -- one student doesn't get paid four times as much as another.

Happy Birthday Nutty!

{{{-t and family}}}

Happy Birthday, Nutty!

Happy Birthday, Nutty!

Happy travels, ita!

It's Nutty's birthday! Have a happy one, kiddo!

Someone told me that the reason so many LA cars are silver is because they're cheaper to cool since they're reflecting the sun more than the other colours.

Does anyone know if there's actually a discernible difference?

Whether the student has work-study or not is a matter for the department budget -- one student doesn't get paid four times as much as another.

Well, I think this is the problem-- they can't figure out how to balance the budget if they don't know to the penny how much each person is being paid, or how to balance it if they suddenly have "extra" money because the student is on work study.

But they're all like-- But the student gets more money than we can afford to pay them! It is a good thing!

Now, I have heard of departments who will only hire workstudy students, presumably to save money, which sort of makes sense. And I imagine, this is how they balance their budget. But I think they pay students an actual hourly rate.

AND don't get me started on how my "budget" for students is $500 and the set departments is, I kid you not $10,000. Also, they are not hiring any students this semester.