WEST LIBERTY, WV – You receive a sketchy “No Reply” email telling you that your package is delivered. You walk into your campus mailroom to pick up your box, and you’re met with students handing out packages, scanning new ones, and finishing up their assignment due tonight.
West Liberty University has countless opportunities for students to work on campus. These jobs can be founded on the website “Handshake,” where the students can see east listing’s requirements and associated tasks, and simply click “apply.” West Liberty has their own section on “Handshake” with listed on-site and remote jobs offered on campus.
However, most jobs on campus are “Work-Study Only.” Work Study is a program funded by the US Department of Education, which enables undergraduate and graduate students to work part-time while enrolled on campus. It is funding that is not applied towards institutional charges, but compensation is received through a bi-weekly check.
In order to be considered for Federal Work-Study, students must complete FASFA by the respective date and must be showing a financial need in order to be granted it.
The students awarded with Work Study must talk to Sue Garrison, Student Enrollment Coordinator, to
complete paperwork before working at their campus job.
“Student workers are essential to my operations here in the College Union Office and Mailroom,” said Michelle Stack, Senior Office Administrator and Manager of the College Union, College Union Office, and Campus Mailroom. “I wouldn’t be able to offer the
services I do without them, and honestly, customer service would suffer greatly if it were only me working in the office. It would limit our hours to only 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and we would be closed for the lunch hour. So, student workers are essential for the Mailroom to run smoothly!”
Having students behind the lines is beneficials in numerous ways. Not only do you get to learn more about the campus and see how things are run in an academic office, but it will also give you valuable experience that will follow into the workforce once you graduate.
“I would definitely recommend it to other students,” said Scales Smith, Junior English Writing and Rhetoric and Literature major. “I think it was a lot easier to connect with coworkers and make new friends working an on-campus job versus an off-campus job. I
think it’s because you have so much more in common because of your proximity to each other, so it makes it easier to connect. Versus at off-campus jobs people are less understanding of what it’s like being a student and working.”
Though, there can be some downsides. By working multiple hours per week, attending lectures, and trying to keep a social life, it can be grueling and a lot of work for most students. This amount of work can lead to a lot of stress, and maybe even grades dwindling.
As a student worker myself, I have found countless sleepless nights of trying o get everything done on the night it is due, all because of the busy workdays beforehand. However, some students are able to get more work done during these hours.
“Working on campus actually is wonderful for my academic performance,” said Anne-Marie McGraw, a Junior Dental Hygiene major. “I’m able to work on homework when things are slow and not worry about driving off the hill to and from work. This gives me more time in the long run to accomplish getting other assignments done later in the day.”
Smith, who works for both Elior and the Mailroom, and McGraw, who works in the Mailroom and as a Student Ambassador, mentioned their experiences with juggling two different jobs and academics.
“During the summer, it was a lot easier to balance the two. It’s been a lot harder during the school year trying to find a balance,” said Smith. “But I learned to just take on fewer hours so that I could focus on school. Thankfully, both places I work at totally understand that I am a student first and have been flexible with my schedule, which I appreciate!”
“Working two on-campus jobs definitely has its perks and its flaws. Both jobs I work typically follow campus office hours and close either at 4 p.m or at 6 p.m. This allows me to have the rest of the evening to get what I need accomplished and prepare for the next day,” said McGraw. “As I said, this does have its flaws, one of them being finding times to meet with professors during their office hours before they leave for the day. The Dental Hygiene department is really great, however, with providing students with any and all help students need.”
Many employers at West Liberty understand that students are tackling multiple responsibilities at once and will try and work with the students to make their lives a bit easier.
“I have a rule though, in my office, that students are here to go to school, not work. While students who work do have a responsibility to do their job well in the hours that they are working, academics do come first,” said Stack. “So, if schedules or commitments are suffering, I will work with the students to try and come up with a schedule that will better accommodate them. Sometimes that means them giving up their job completely. For others, it is just a matter of cutting down work hours to where they are more comfortable.”
Though work and stress can be grueling, there are many ways to combat it with different tips and tricks.
“Writing out due dates and comparing it to my work schedule has been helpful,” said Smith. “I think the most important thing you can do is understand your limits…Listen to what your body is telling you, rest, and don’t ignore it, that’s my advice!”
Student workers strive to create welcoming environments for students on campus. Keeping good grades and turning in assignments, all while being on the clock, can feel hard for many. But, they know how to make it look like a walk in the park.
