Need a job? NGU offers work study for students
Abigail Dickerson, Staff Writer & Seth Atkins, Visual Arts Editor
Sick of asking mom and dad for cash? NGU work-study may be your saving grace.
Now that you are too old to get an allowance from your parents and have to keep up with gas prices, the NGU work-study program may be right for you. Join the work-study program at NGU today and start making your parents proud.
North Greenville University’s work-study program provides on-campus jobs for students who are enrolled full-time. Students can explore new job options while pursuing their degrees.
“The goal of the program is to assist students with funding but also to give students opportunities to learn valuable skills and network with various staff and faculty,” said Kathy Cribb, work-study coordinator at NGU.
Work-study is an opportunity for students to build community, have real work experience and become familiar with the professional hiring process. Cribb said she hopes students will leave with a resume and references for their future endeavors.
Staff members are paid on the third week of each month and receive a minimum wage. If students are having a hard time paying for tuition, they can have their earnings sent towards their school bills. On the other hand, if students would prefer to have the money in their personal account, they can set up a direct deposit.
The upside to having the ability to directly deposit a paycheck to a personal account is that the student will have freedom over what to do with their money. If a student is not paying their own tuition, they can use their earnings to pay for things like car payments, insurance, phone bill, Netflix and Spotify subscriptions, late-night waffle house runs as well as putting it into savings if they wish.
The negative side to this is that students could spend their money on unnecessary things and then not have the means to pay for things they may need in a time of emergency. For more information on student finance and how to deal with money the right way in college, visit this article on student finance by Keely Lyons *insert link here*.
Students do have the option to have their earnings applied directly towards their tuition bills. The good thing about this is that it helps to pay off the cost of school faster as well as leaving less possible debt after graduation.
The thing that students may not like about this option is that they will not have the freedom to spend their money any way that they like. However, this may benefit them in the future because it prevents frivolous spending.
To be eligible for work-study, students must maintain a substantial GPA as well as be living on campus or commuting. Unfortunately, online students enrolled at NGU are not eligible for work studies.
The work-study program has a wide variety of jobs for students. Some positions include the media team, bookstore staff, post office staff, admissions assistants and personal work studies to a professor.
Junior, Keddy Mendoza is a personal work-study to an admissions staff member. She said that whatever she is asked to do whether it be copying papers or helping with file organization, she willingly does it. Personal work-studies are given tasks by their professor or staff member to do that will help them use their time more efficiently.
Some daily tasks for work-study could include things like running the cash register if you work in the bookstore or running a camera for the media team in the chapel. Students may also have the opportunity to help run campus events.
“One time I had to string lights in the chapel 50 feet up, I got so scared it took me 10 minutes to descend the ladder,” said media team work-study, Harrison Kunselman. “It is always a good time for a work-study, students should give it a try,” he said. Even if climbing ladders isn’t for you, there are many other options to choose from if you are willing to apply.
The process of becoming a work-study includes several steps before a student begins work. First, the head of the department to which the student has applied will send out an employment agreement.
To students who have never had a job, going through the hiring process is a good practice. Students will also fill out all of the legal documents that would be required for any real off-campus job. “The work-study program is true employment, and we follow the hiring policy for the University including the I9 homeland security process,” said Cribb.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Form I-9 verifies the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States.”
Work-study has been offered at North Greenville University for over 15 years, said Cribb. She said that this academic year alone 336 students have been enrolled. Apply to be a work-study today by contacting Kathy Cribb at NGU central in Neves.
*Featured Image: Ashley Rosa, senior, selling tickets at the box office for her theatre work study. Photo by Seth Atkins
