Southwestern College Collegian

Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Campus Life

There are many places to work on campus, not just for people with degrees but also for students. The positions that can be found around campus are usually great for college students because of the flexible hours. And not only do students make money, but in some cases they gain experience for their chosen field of study as well. There are positions available from managing a sports team, to giving piano lessons and almost anything you can think of in between. So it is easy for students to find some form of work that they are capable of doing. Lyndsie Oathout, biology sophomore, said, "I think working on campus gives me more flexibility with my schedule. I'll probably do it until I graduate, but I wish I was paid more than minimum wage." Working students fall into two different categories on the Southwestern campus. Those who qualify for federal work study and those who are hired for campus employment. Students qualify for federal work study if they do not have enough money, loans, scholarships or grants to cover the costs of attending Southwestern. Students who are hired for campus employment are simply students who have met all of their monetary requirements to attend Southwestern and just need a job for some extra money. There are currently 80 students on the payroll for federal work study. That means that only 55 percent of students who qualify for work study are taking advantage of it. There are also about 60 students working who are employed by the campus, who don't qualify for work study. So is it easier to get a job if you qualify for federal work study? Krysti Koebele, payroll and benefits administrator, said, "We encourage departments to hire students who qualify for work study first, but ultimately the department gets to choose who will work for them. We can't make them hire a student simply because they qualify for work study." Working on campus may be convenient, it usually only pays minimum wage for most students. "Department heads can pay students any amount they choose to. If they feel that one position is more difficult than another and requires more work, they may choose to pay more for that position. But all departments have a budget that they have to stay within." So you may be wondering which departments pay the most. The majority of them said that they pay minimum wage, which was raised to $5.85 on July 7, 2007. There are still a few students who may make a little more, but it is rare. Robert Perret, circulation manager at Memorial Library, said, "We currently have a few students who are making maybe 10 to 20 cents more than others. But we expect that to even out in July when they increase minimum wage to $6.55." That could be great news for many students. Because of the Fair Minimum Wages Act of 2007 minimum wage will go up every year until 2009. It will be increased to $6.55 on July 24 of this year. It will increase again July 24, 2009 to $7.25. Peg Williams is a sophomore majoring in journalism. You may e-mail her at peggy.williams@sckans.edu.

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