OPINION: Researchers should compensate their assistants

For college students across all academic fields, taking part in faculty-directed research is a great way to gain valuable experience, whether or not they plan to pursue post-graduate degrees. However, the majority of undergraduate research assistantships are unpaid. This poses a dilemma for students who need the experience but cannot afford USC if they are deprived of an hourly wage. Given that undergraduates make significant contributions in their labs at the cost of their financial wellness, it is time for faculty to start prioritizing this issue.

Underpaying undergraduate assistants is currently not a priority because of the misconception that students are only hired to perform mundane tasks. The reality, however, is that undergraduates contribute valuable work to faculty projects. Students are typically tasked with collecting data, analyzing findings and writing reports, all of which are crucial to the research process. Those who are deeply involved in research may even draft their own proposals and carry out personal projects. It is not uncommon for them to be listed as contributing authors on published papers. Because some labs are underfunded, they do not prioritize paying undergraduate research assistants. Their work should not be devalued — and for the level of effort and commitment their roles require, it’s only fair that they receive monetary compensation.

It is common for research labs to require undergraduate assistants to work 10 hours a week. As such, working a part-time job on top of serving as a research assistant is not feasible for many students who have class and other extracurricular obligations. Furthermore, medical schools and many graduate programs require that applicants have prior research experience Subsequently, students who are pursuing careers in certain fields do not have the flexibility in choosing a paid job over a research assistantship.

While USC has programs that provide funding for undergraduate students working in unpaid research, the amount that they provide is a far cry from the national standard for a living wage. One of the most popular options is Student Opportunities for Academic Research, which aims to cultivate scholarly inquiry early in students’ careers and foster connections between students and faculty. This program offers a $1,000 stipend for an entire academic year of research. If the average undergraduate research assistant works 10 hours per week for 32 school weeks, the stipend averages out to an hourly wage of $3.12 over 320 hours. This is less than a quarter of Los Angeles’ minimum wage, which increases to $14.25 this year.

The SOAR program also limits recipients to two students per faculty member, yet most research groups have more than two undergraduate students on staff. Furthermore, this stipend goes directly into the recipients’ tuition, meaning that students do not have the freedom to allocate money to other areas of financial need such as housing, groceries or transportation.

For low-income students who rely on part-time jobs to pay for college, unpaid research is simply unfeasible and greatly limits opportunities for students who are interested in medical and graduate school. While work-study is an option for some positions, not all research groups are available for work-study pay. Getting involved with a lab that operates within a student’s field of interest is crucial in developing relevant and practical skills for future employment. At the moment, research is not an even playing field for students of different socioeconomic backgrounds looking to gain these skills through research. Making research assistantships paid will open the door for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to get involved with research, empowering them to not only further their academic interests outside the classroom, but also to act as a stepping stone into graduate-level education.

Ultimately, this will benefit both faculty and students; faculty will be able to hire from a broader pool of talented students, and students will have better access to these positions.

Although unpaid undergraduate research assistant positions have been normalized, it is time for faculty researchers to see the value of the work that undergraduates contribute to their labs and realize that by not paying these students, they are limiting the opportunities for aspiring researchers who are unfairly disadvantaged because of their financial situations.