On-campus jobs are more than just a paycheck to student workers
(Photo courtesy of fromthebarn.org)
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On-campus jobs are more than just a paycheck to student workers
We've been hearing about it the past two weeks at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions: jobs, jobs, jobs. Job growth and creation are as important an issue at the University of Portland as they are for the country this political season. The University should work to restore lost student jobs as quickly as possible.
The most pressing issue is that students are already strapped for cash. Many students seek on and off campus jobs to help pay for food, vehicle repairs and other expenses. Due to the lack of on-campus jobs this year, many students are forced to look for jobs off campus, which, aside from being few and far between because of the bad economy, are not as flexible about a student's schedule as on-campus jobs. Many students end up adjusting their schedules and working crazy hours in order to hold a job off campus. This blurs the priorities of students from school to work.
What the decrease in on-campus jobs will really make the University realize this semester is how much students help to make this campus run smoothly.
Don't be surprised if the mail center's understaffing results in fewer and less timely package transport and delivery.
Students working in athletics take the pressure off UP's full time staff by manning the shot clocks at basketball games, being ball boys and girls at tennis matches and a variety of other tasks. When fall and winter sports start to overlap around late Oct., we may see more sweat from those working in Athletics than our student athletes.
All these inconveniences will add up to a University that does not run as well as it has in years past.
Another component of University life that will suffer from these cuts is community. One of the most important aspects of on-campus jobs is the sense that we're all working together, almost like a self-sufficient commune of students working for and with each other. You go to The Commons and there's your Bibtrad partner making you a sandwich. After lunch, you get some assistance from a student at the Help Desk in The Library. The army of students that make this University run is part of its charm.
Finally, students will miss out on valuable job experience. Many students entering the university get their first job right here on campus. They build their resume at the mail center, Howard Hall, or as a front desk worker. If you don't have any experience or employers who can recommend your work, you have even less of a chance of getting a summer or post-graduate job in this tough economy.
Helping to pay the expenses of going to college with an on-campus job is one of the most rewarding ways for students to participate in their education. Going to work and school really makes a student prioritize and organize their life because of the lack of down time that those who only go to school enjoy. In the long hours sitting behind the front desk, or tossing packages in the mail center, many students know that even if the job doesn't exactly teach them much or isn't very rewarding, they are still making money and actively helping to finance their degree.
The University should not only restore student jobs, but increase the number of jobs in the future. This semester without as many student workers will show the University just how important students are in keeping the Pilots running in ship shape. With many students already feeling financial pinch of a tough economy, student job creation is one way the University can help itself and students.
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The editorial reflects the majority view of The Beacon Editorial Board. The editorial does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the collective staff or the Administration of the University of Portland. Other submissions in this section are signed commentaries that reflect the opinion of the individual writer. The Student Media Committee, providing recommendation to the publisher, oversees the general operation of the newspaper. Policy set by the committee and publisher dictates that the responsibility for the newspaper's editorial and advertising content lies solely in the hands of its student employees.
