Re: how do you compensate your peer tutors?

[Sara Kimball <skimball@uts.cc.utexas.edu>]

I sympathize with your problem, Kelly.  we're trying to get secure 
funding for our undergradaute consultants here at the University of 
Texas.  Currently, we've got a kind of ad hoc arrangement.  I have 8 
undergrads working for me.  Two signed up this semester for a conference 
course for their work in the writing center.  This means they get a grade 
& course credit for their work.  One has a work study grant that she's 
being paid from; she receives $7.25 per haour.  The other 5 are being paid 
out of my division's (= 
department's) budget for hiring undergraduate clerical help, and they get 
$7.75 per hour.  This is 
not a good arrangement, because the division needs helpers in its main 
office, and we've already run out of money for the whole year.  We 
decided to pay them this way, because we have been trying to get 
increased funding for our writing center and thought we would.  That, 
unfortunately, was not successful, so now we're scrambling around trying 
to get emergency supplemental funding for undergrauate wages.  In the 
spring, I teach a training course for undergrad consultants called 
writing center internship.  After the first 6 weeks of the course, they 
will be working in th center as consultants.  They are compensated with 
course credit.  I also have 33 graduate student assistant instructors 
working as consultants.  They're paid through AI stipends and work 7 
hours a week as consultants in addition to teaching a writing class.
	I hope the information helps.  Good luck.
Sara Kimball, UT Austin