NIU students employed with the university will feel their wallets thicken, and student employers might find an increase in job applications after NIU President John La Tourette has approved a 40-cent minimum wage increase for student employees.

The long-awaited increase will be implemented with the fall semester, and includes the pay period which starts August 16.

The approved plan will increase student wage rates across the board within all groups of classified student employees by 40-cents per hour. New student employment manuals will be supplied to campus employers of students at workshops scheduled for August 8, 9 and 10.

A memo from Jerry Augsburger, director of student financial aid and chairman of the Job Classification and Wage Rate Committee, states those departments dependent on general revenue funding will receive increased funding to cover the student wage increases.

The increases will not be confirmed until all allocations to departmental budgets are approved by Gov. James Thompson, when he signs the budget bill for 1989-1990.

“Hopefully, this general student wage increase will not only result in compensating students more fairly for their labors but will also increase the number of students opting for on-campus work (fewer students opting for loans or off-campus work) thereby significantly increasing the student labor pool which is so vital in carrying out the business of the university,” the memo states.