Graphic by Summer Mills
Reevaluating Money Given to Students and Staff For Travel
By Summer Mills
University of the Cumberlands students only receive $7.00 a meal while traveling. The Cumberlands has not always offered meal money to students going somewhere with the school. However, over the past few years, they have offered the same amount for every meal, totaling $21.00 daily, which has not changed even though inflation has been at work. Many times, people who are traveling will be sports teams going to games or conferences. Any time a conference takes place, it is typically in a bigger city. For example, the newspaper staff has attended conferences in Washington D.C., New York City, and Atlanta for the past two years.
Going to these big cities, particularly NYC, requires a lot of money, specifically for food. The minimum wage in these metropolitan areas is greater than that of Kentucky. The dollar’s value in the entire state of New York holds less value than that of the currency in Kentucky. Not to mention that $7.00 will not cover the price of most meals in Williamsburg, more or less a big city.
The minimum wage in Kentucky has been $7.25 since 2009. The state of New York has its minimum wage set at $14.20, while the city just increased its wage to $16.00. In this area, the amount given for just one meal is around half of the minimum wage in New York. Since the wages are higher there, the price of food will also be higher. In Kentucky, $7.00 is almost the minimum wage. One person’s suspected hour of salary is supposed to pay for an entire meal.
It is unlikely that $7.00 will pay for any meal in NYC. On average, most restaurants in Williamsburg cost anywhere from $10.00 to $15.00 for a meal. The classic hamburger, fry, and pop combination is a common American dinner. The cheapest place to obtain a hamburger meal combo in Williamsburg is from Cook Out. The tray dinner costs $6.35 after taxes while the same meal at other restaurants costs around $9.00 before taxes.
One year ago, the last time the newspaper went to NYC, everyone had to use money from their own pockets. In the market at the hotel, bottles of water cost nearly $7.00 apiece. Most places people go to are by walking, which requires people to stay hydrated. Yet, the
Cumberlands only provide students the same amount it costs for one water for an entire meal, thus putting a strain on a student’s finances.
As citizens travel to Northeastern states, the value of the one-dollar bill begins to get lower. Fox Business states that in New York, the dollar is valued at “$0.87.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kentucky has around “$1.14” value in a dollar. The state ranks at the top for holding over the worth of a dollar. Even though money often fluctuates, New York Magazine notes in “The Value of a New York Dollar” that “The Bureau of Labor Statistics says overall prices here are 9.9 percent higher than the rest of the country.” These startling statistics prove that even if $7.00 could pay for a complete meal in Kentucky, it never will in NYC.
Eastern Kentucky University’s overview of their travel regulations reveals that the substinance per diem is almost twice the amount that Cumberlands students receive. In low rate travel areas students are allotted $36.00 per day and $44.00 in high rate travel areas.
The amount has stayed the same for years, so nobody wants to change it. Before this year, authoritative figures could possibly think people were okay with so little money to eat. At one time, the $21.00 a day definitely would have covered three meals a day. Since the college approves us to go on these trips and helps to cover costs, everyone should be grateful that the school allots meal money to travelers.
Many students do not expect to spend so much money out of pocket because of the meal money given by the school, but to feed themselves, students must dip into their finances. This setup can be harmful when people go on trips unprepared for this type of financial payout, and some may not have the money to cover the rest of their meals.
To fix this issue, the Cumberlands should give meal money based on the area students travel to. Sports teams may not need more than $7.00 a meal when going to a regular season game, but they need more money when they attend conferences in larger cities. The amount of money given per meal and day should reflect the standard of living in the area. This issue affects professors, staff, and students. The Cumberlands should reevaluate meal money given, especially when considering all the impacted people. This review will alter the norm but lead to a better overall experience for everyone involved.
