By Sonni Simmons

Community News Editor

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A workshop will be held on campus to equip students with information to develop skills for future salary negotiation, in an effort to bring awareness to the gender wage gap.

The three-hour workshop, as part of the $mart $tart campus initiative, is a collaboration between The American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the WAGE Project, and is brought to CSUSM by the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences (CHABSS). It will be held between 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.  on Friday, March 20 in Commons 206.

According to the WAGE Project’s website, the workshop aims “to empower college women who are approaching the job market with the tools to negotiate salaries and benefits.”

During the workshop, students will learn how they are affected by the gender wage gap, to develop a personal budget, to determine a salary and benefits that will best fit their individual needs and how to negotiate a salary.

Students are encouraged to attend in order to learn about the consequences of the wage gap that still exists today.

According to the WAGE Project’s website,“AAUW research shows that, one year after graduating, young women earn an average of just 82 percent of what their male counterparts earn and that the gender wage gap widens over the next 10 years. A young woman graduating today will earn roughly $1 million less than her male peer will over the course of her career because of this gap.”

All CSUSM students are encouraged to attend the $mart $tart workshop as anyone could benefit from information regarding salary and budgeting, especially for job searches after graduation.

“Available seats are filling fast,” said Jacquelyn Kilpatrick, Director of CSUSM’s School of Arts. “The workshop is geared toward women who are graduating soon, but all students, including men, are welcome. This is good information for everyone.”

Students who would like to attend the $mart $tart workshop can RSVP at www.csusm.edu/chabss/featuredprograms/careerreadiness/rsvp.