College is frequently considered a stepping stone to the working world, but more often today’s students aren’t waiting to graduate before they take a job.

To many students at SU, “making the most” during their time in college doesn’t mean spending that time in class. For those who struggle to make ends meet, working while learning is a necessity. Approximately 75 percent of students here rely on some form of financial aid, including work-study, to stay enrolled.

The University should acknowledge that the student employment opportunities it offers must balance academics with work experience, and properly inform students of the commitment they’re making with part-time jobs.

As of Aug. 26, Syracuse University’s job database, SUJobOpps, had 103 different listings available for students in departments both on and off campus. Some positions offer upwards of sixteen dollars per hour, more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Sport management senior Giancarlo Lopera said in an email that the university does a good job at providing a large number of positions that are “easy-to-do work.”

But the variety of employment opportunities on campus does not necessarily translate into student wealth. Even with two office jobs, Lopera still found difficulty balancing work with school.

“If I wanted to make one-hundred dollars, I’d have to work twelve hours or more; even if I do make that much, I still cannot afford most of my required readings,” Lopera said. “I have skipped class to make my shifts, so it does take away from schooling. I felt like the money was not worth it.”

Resumes featuring a willingness to work in school – rather than spend college partying – show diligence. Proven experience in office teamwork, deadline management and workplace phone and email etiquette is not only sought after, but expected in recent graduates.

There are plenty of listings posted on SUJobOpps for “desk jobs” that may allow a student to ‘work while they work.’ However, SU does not currently represent the actual number of positions available for student workers in a given listing. This system inaccurately portrays SU’s distribution of jobs, which are largely food assembly positions in the Dome, cafés and dining halls.

These service jobs, often touting their role as “one of the highest paying jobs on campus,” are meant to be alluring. The demand for employees is high and low-level positions are given without interviews. Service job employees forfeit their ability to do any school-related multitasking during their shift, unlike their desk job counterparts.

No price can be put on work experience, but what is the academic cost of part-time employment for students? Current minimums for jobs at SU require a range of 10 to 24 hours of work per week, depending on the position. Enrollment minimums of 12 to 15 credit hours per semester are expected atop a general rule of three ‘outside’ hours of work per credit.

Excessive work requirements leave very little time to enjoy all the guest speakers, clubs and internships SU advertises as imperative to a student’s time here. There is a symbiotic relationship between the university and its student workers, but with more accurate descriptions of job listings and reduced required hours, SU can do even more to serve them.

Zhané Souter is a senior broadcast journalism major and forensic science minor. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at zisouter@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @zhanesouter.

Published on September 2, 2015 at 12:04 am