The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

Newsletter Signup

Get our news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

* indicates required

Opinion: Night Assistants deserve benefits, housing must deliver

Austin Mann

Austin MannThe Student Government Association passed a bill Tuesday night changing the name of Night Stars to Night Assistants, a job some students at Appalachian State have. 

These student employees work hard to keep us safe, but they are still denied certain advantages that other student employees enjoy. 

While most student employees of this university can take off work the night before an important exam, the same cannot be done for Night Assistants. Night Assistants are required to work during finals week, according to the Night Assistant Manual. 

Night Assistants have to patrol the halls in student dormitories until 3 or 4 a.m. This is a problem when you consider that some of these Night Assistants have to take 8 a.m. classes.

SGA Senator Nick Smith proposed a bill to help alleviate some of these problems. The bill calls for Night Assistants to have priority registration and to have the option to take off nights before an important exam to study and sleep.

A bill this important does not come without its detractors. Some in SGA have voiced concern that students may sign on to the Night Assistant program for the benefits, only to quit once they receive them. Regardless of this potential danger, those who are dedicated Night Assistants deserve early registration as a reward for their long nights of ensuring safety in dorms.

Another problem is that it will be very difficult to realize parts of these important changes. Because SGA has no actual power or executive authority, it is up to the university to make these changes. 

The final alteration to the Night Assistant program is at the discretion of University Housing, which does not have to alter the Night Assistant program, even though the bill has already passed.

I have to give Smith and the SGA credit. Kudos to all of you for endorsing these important measures to safeguard the rights that every Night Assistant deserves. But I have to call into question how far this bill will really go. 

You can pass as many bills as you want, but ultimately it is the university that governs the students, not the other way around.

Mann, a freshman computer science major from Raleigh, is an opinion writer.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Appalachian
$1201
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

We hope you appreciate this article! Before you move on, our student staff wanted to ask if you would consider supporting The Appalachian's award-winning journalism. We are celebrating our 90th anniversary of The Appalachian in 2024!

We receive funding from the university, which helps us to compensate our students for the work they do for The Appalachian. However, the bulk of our operational expenses — from printing and website hosting to training and entering our work into competitions — is dependent upon advertising revenue and donations. We cannot exist without the financial and educational support of our fellow departments on campus, our local and regional businesses, and donations of money and time from alumni, parents, subscribers and friends.

Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest, both on campus and within the community. From anywhere in the world, readers can access our paywall-free journalism, through our website, through our email newsletter, and through our social media channels. Our supporters help to keep us editorially independent, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone.

If you can, please consider supporting us with a financial gift from $10. We appreciate your consideration and support of student journalism at Appalachian State University. If you prefer to make a tax-deductible donation, or if you would prefer to make a recurring monthly gift, please give to The Appalachian Student News Fund through the university here: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1727/cg20/form.aspx?sid=1727&gid=2&pgid=392&cid=1011&dids=418.15&bledit=1&sort=1.

Donate to The Appalachian
$1201
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Appalachian Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *