The alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m.

By the time the spring sun rises, a Bowling Green State University (BGSU) senior is already in a local K-12 classroom, writing objectives on the whiteboard and reviewing lesson plans. When the first bell rings, they are the one standing at the front of the room, managing behavioral issues, delivering lectures and executing state-mandated curriculum. When the final bell rings at 3 p.m., the day isn’t over. There are papers to grade, parent emails to draft and tomorrow’s lessons to build.

It is a 40-hour work week that demands the emotional and intellectual capacity of a seasoned professional.

But at the end of the month, when the veteran teacher sitting at the desk next to them receives a paycheck, the BGSU senior receives nothing. During this required clinical semester, the student is also actively paying roughly $7,500 in full-time university tuition for the privilege of working in that classroom.

Now, a new Undergraduate Student Government (USG) resolution, S.R. 2025/2026-02, is formally asking the university to address the financial realities facing its future educators. Authored by Elias Young, off-campus senator, the legislation argues the unpaid clinical requirement creates an unsustainable burden for future educators.

According to survey data cited in the resolution, the financial strain of the unpaid semester has led 35% of the Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) Integrated Social Studies cohort to rely on the university’s Falcon Food Pantry. An additional 15% utilize community resources like the St. Thomas More Food Pantry or the Brown Bag Food Project.

The cohort’s statistics reflect a broader campus trend. Shannon Orr, director of the Falcon Food Pantry, reports the facility serves roughly 1,300 students monthly. She noted scheduling demands of unpaid clinicals have prompted similar initiatives in other departments, including a recently installed “mini-pantry” in the nursing program for students unable to visit the main pantry during standard operating hours.

For Young, hearing the realities of his cohort was the catalyst for the legislation.

“I heard a lot of the things that they were under, a lot of the stress they were dealing with,” Young said, noting that the program’s expectation for students to treat their clinical placement as a full-time commitment makes the semester financially difficult for many. “Explain how you’re supposed to be working 40 hours a week, paying a full-time tuition rate, but also not working a job.”

Young acknowledged his own ability to live at home with family support during his clinical semester, stating, “I’m certainly blessed more than other people are.”

Without that same safety net, as Young noted, students are left trying to solve an impossible equation: working 40 hours a week for free, paying full tuition and somehow finding the time to earn enough money to pay rent.

To address this, the USG resolution directly challenges the university’s billing practices.

According to the 2025-2026 Falcon Tuition Guarantee, the base instructional and general fees for a full-time, in-state student sit at $7,171.20, prior to any mandatory program or assessment fees.

According to the USG resolution, students are paying full-time tuition, but they are almost never on campus and BGSU is not compensating the K-12 teachers who actually mentor them. Because that tuition money is not funding their daily campus experience or their direct supervisors, USG is petitioning for a “proportional tuition model”—a reduced rate that only charges students for the campus resources they actually use.

When asked how professional year tuition is allocated, Casey Wyman, BGSU Vice President for Finance and Administration, pointed to the broader university infrastructure.

“Tuition supports a wide range of direct and indirect costs, including faculty oversight, program administration, academic advising, student services, compliance requirements and institutional operations that enable these experiences,” Wyman said, “even when they occur primarily off-campus.”

Wyman acknowledged the USG resolution, stating the university intends to work collaboratively with student government and the College of Education. However, because the review is just beginning, Wyman stated the administration is “not yet able to provide detailed responses or discuss specific models publicly.”

The financial burden is further compounded by a lack of traditional labor protections. While the veteran educators mentoring BGSU seniors are shielded by organizations like the Bowling Green Education Association, student teachers possess no collective bargaining power.

Consequently, BGSU student teachers are held to a strict attendance standard. According to the College of Education and Human Development’s official attendance policy, student teachers are expected “to be prepared and present every teachable day.”

While the policy language lacks the explicit sick leave allowances found in handbooks at other regional institutions such as the Ohio State University and Kent State, Dawn Shinew, Dean of the College of Education, clarified that health emergencies are accommodated, provided the time is made up to meet state licensure requirements.

“Students are not expected to attend when they are ill,” Shinew said. “Our online attendance system allows students to log absences, and we work closely with them to ensure any missed days are made up, often during finals week.” Shinew noted that 182 student teachers have logged at least one absence this term.

Addressing the financial strain and the college’s guidance on outside jobs, Shinew acknowledged the heavy workload prompts them to advise limiting employment, but added, “we recognize that many students must work.”

To offset costs, Shinew noted the college has increased its scholarship awards to over $1 million, utilizes a donor-supported fund to provide gas cards, and—following a July 2024 change in state law—now allows student teachers to earn income by serving as substitute teachers.

Meanwhile, local school districts confirm the operational value student teachers bring to their buildings. Bowling Green City Schools (BGCS), which exclusively accepts student teachers from BGSU, called the partnership mutually beneficial.

Ted Haselman, BGCS Superintendent, said the district values the collaboration, viewing it as a “two fold” relationship. While BGSU students gain valuable classroom experience, Haselman noted that veteran mentor teachers “have the opportunity to collaborate with and gain insight to new educational strategies from their BGSU student teacher.”

As student leaders wait for a formal response from university administrators, Shinew confirmed the college welcomes a collaborative task force, but noted any financial solutions must look beyond just education majors.

“It is important to note that many students across campus complete full-time internships, so any options considered will need to be viable for thousands of students each semester,” Shinew stated.

Looking forward, the USG resolution highlights the state of Colorado, which recently implemented state-funded stipends to compensate student teachers. However, the pressure is mounting closer to home as Ohio’s neighboring states begin offering their own financial incentives to attract and retain young educators.

Michigan currently offers direct compensation through the MI Future Educator Stipend, while Pennsylvania recently launched the PA Student Teacher Support Program to provide state-funded financial relief during clinical placements.

USG is currently petitioning BGSU to partner with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) and the State Legislature to actively lobby for similar financial support in Columbus.

When asked about the possibility of state-funded stipends, Haselman said it would “obviously be beneficial for those students completing their student teaching requirement,” though he pointed out that public K-12 districts are currently navigating their own financial hurdles.

“The cost to educate a student continues to rise each and every year but the state funding doesn’t seem to keep up with that increase,” Haselman stated.

Despite the financial and professional pressure, Young’s message to the hundreds of BGSU seniors currently in the field remains focused on the mission that brought them to the classroom in the first place.

“Keep doing the work you’re doing. You’re doing phenomenal. You’re almost there,” Young said. “Remember, this is only temporary. You have a lifetime career ahead to make a difference in students’ lives, to fit your passion, to fit what you’ve been working for for the last four years. So keep strong.”

This story was originally published on BG Falcon Media on April 16, 2026.