KnightNews.com has learned the president of USF’s Student Government Association is paid more than UCF’s SGA president, despite UCF being a larger school with reportedly tougher academic standards for entrance.
USF’s SGA president oversees an $11 million budget. UCF’s SGA preisdent oversees a budget of at least $15 million.
But according to a WFTV.com report, USF’s SGA President makes more than $22,000 per year while UCF SGA President Mike Kilbride makes less — about $20,000 a year for what he says is a full time job.
“It’s a job that takes about 40 — I would say — more than 40 hours a week of my time meeting with individuals and, you know, meeting with community leaders and students as to how do we best represent the student body here at UCF,” Kilbride told WFTV Channel 9 Eyewitness News.
Both UCF and USF pay significantly higher salaries than UF or FSU pay their SGA presidents, according to WFTV. However, UCF and USF are located in major metropolitan areas, and UF and FSU are located in smaller cities, with a cheaper cost of living, according to money.cnn.com.
At all public schools, student activity and service fees are used to pay the SGA presidents’ salaries.
Kilbride, who is a senior finance major, told Channel 9 his wage of about $10 per hour wage is used to pay his tuition and rent, and between school and SGA he doesn’t have time for another job or paid internship.
Finance interns at at Lockheed Martin or Siemens are routinely paid about $17 per hour for their time interning, UCF students told KnightNews.com.
KnightNews.com is still investigating why USF’s SGA pay is now higher than UCF’s — and why USF’s SGA apparently has obtained teleprompters to use for addresses to the student body, similar to those President Barack Obama uses to address the nation.
Check back to see any updates posted that we learn.
