I’m writing to express my concern about future legislation regarding an increase in the state minimum wage. In order to provide a more substantial lifestyle for low-income workers, the debate over increasing the minimum wage has significantly grown in popularity across the country for the last five years. Several states have started implementing a gradual increase in their minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next couple years.

I’m an undergraduate student at the University, and prior to being a consumer economics and finance major, I realized that I truly had never learned quite how to follow current national events and make predictions regarding how they will likely affect my everyday encounters. Other students struggle with these same difficulties as well.

With that being said, individuals who are in the 18- to 22-year-old range lack the information we need to voice our opinion on topics such as the minimum wage. Of the information that is available on the topic, it is either brief, generally presented on the news or too in depth for those without a background in economics to understand, often seen as a case study or national report.

An increase in the minimum wage would affect our age group much more than the average college student expects. Each $1 increase in the minimum wage will result in a 4-10 percent increase in the likelihood of a restaurant closing, and, seeing as the restaurant/food service industry is the single biggest employer of near-minimum wage workers, this policy would have a very negative effect on those currently receiving minimum wage.

Of the states that have increased their minimum wage, several have already started seeing red flags originating in the restaurant business. There are other policies that are more effective than raising the minimum wage, and people my age need to know about them. This is a topic that you can play a major role in simply by informing your readers of other solutions for the state to provide more adequate wages.

Conor is a sophomore in ACES.

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