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Eating in the dining commons, using the Student Recreation and Fitness Center, studying in Fogler Library — students at the University of Maine use campus services daily. They may not realize these services are made possible by other students who work on campus, balancing the demands of schoolwork with the responsibilities of a part-time job.
Ashley Pratt, a third-year nursing student, is one of these students. Pratt is a student administrative aide in the athletics office. She handles event RSVPs and parking passes as well as working at games and tailgating events. Pratt chose a job on campus because she has work study.
“I love my job, and I think if I lost it, I wouldn’t work anywhere else,” Pratt said.
Pratt feels her job adds another dimension to her experience at UMaine.
“The coolest thing about my job is that I get to work with people who care so much about the university and have so much pride in it — generous people,” she said.
Many students hold jobs on campus simply because they need the money. Fiona McMahon, a fourth-year biology student who works for dining services and the Recreation Center, said most of her motivation is financial. McMahon has worked in food service and as a swim instructor on campus. Currently, she is a student administrative aide for dining services and does CPR audits and safety testing at the Rec Center.
“I also work off campus. I technically have four jobs,” she said.
McMahon said it can be overwhelming to balance multiple jobs and schoolwork.
“There is the challenge of time management and not getting too caught up in making money for the present, realizing that an education is more important,” she said.
Pratt agrees time management becomes an issue when full-time students take on jobs.
“It mostly gets difficult around exam time and with clinicals when I have to be in the hospital,” she said.
She said working on campus is convenient for busy students.
“One of the good things about my job and with work study in general is that bosses are lenient with time off,” Pratt said.
Third-year forest ecosystem science student Amy Becker, who works in the Sawyer Environmental Chemistry Research Lab as a student lab aide, agrees.
“On campus they know that I’m a student, and they tend to be more understanding with schoolwork than a retail store might be,” she said.
In the lab, Becker analyzes samples from bodies of water around Maine to determine their phosphorus content. She feels she is learning valuable skills from her campus job.
“With my major, it’s good to have experience working in a lab, which could be a future job of mine,” she said.
Becker started working at the lab two years ago because she had work study and lived on campus. Although she now lives off campus and no longer receives work study, she continues to work for Sawyer lab.
“At least here I’m contributing to a greater cause,” she said.
Pratt also feels she takes valuable experience from her campus job.
“I’ve learned that networking is important — making connections with people. I think that’s an asset of my job,” Pratt said.
She feels holding a job adds to her education, rather than taking away from it.
“I think that having a job on campus, something like athletics especially, gets you so in touch on campus,” she said.
McMahon feels her work experience may help her in her future career.
“Right now I’m hoping for a career in environmental policy, and my job gets me in touch with the basics of technology in general,” she said. “As a safety committee person, I’ve learned to be proactive and to see and predict problems before they happen.”
Whether they feel they are gaining new skills or just a steady paycheck, on-campus workers recommend the experience.
“I think I would recommend it because you can work your hours around your class schedule,” Pratt said.
McMahon agreed campus jobs are a good option for students, especially if they live on campus.
Becker urged other students to look into the various opportunities for working on campus.
“A lot of people don’t know these types of jobs are available. This campus offers a lot of jobs that people aren’t aware of,” she said.
McMahon would like to see more appreciation and respect for students who already work on campus.
“Especially having been a food service worker making sandwiches in the Memorial Union, I want people to know how difficult it can be to work on campus,” she said.
