Letters to the Editor: Better job options need to be available

posted in: Opinion | 0

College is a place to explore who you want to be and how you will contribute to the world.

“Find something you love doing, so you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” parents, professors and advisers say. A crucial piece of the puzzle can be found through job experiences.

However, what they don’t realize is how difficult this is, especially when you can only choose from few jobs on campus. This is the frustration for students who do not qualify for work-study jobs.

I understand work-study is a federal grant program that “provides part-time jobs for students with financial need.”

I am proposing all students should have equal opportunities to work -related experiences on campus within a student’s field of interest.

The majority of jobs are filled by those who have work-study. Pacific University employment is advertised online as work-study only. Although students can schedule meetings with the CDC advisers to compose a cover letter and resume, the problem arises when non-work-study students realize they don’t have anyone to hand it to.

The common “go to,” non-work-study jobs are found through Aramark or Starbucks, both private vendors on campus.

But how is this a benefit if you have no interest in the food industry?

The underlying problem is the lack of money.

Katie Lardy, Assistant Director of the Career and Development Center, explained that if they had the funding, they would love to offer every student a job. “Department funds” can be used to hire non-work-study students, but that decreases funding for other priority expenditures.

This got me thinking, what if money spent on certain student life activities, like handing out free shirts or food, were redirected to “department funds” to fund non-work-study jobs? It seems like a small price to pay to keep every student’s best interest at the forefront, while enhancing “integrative service and education.”

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