UNC faces work study demand

This year, the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid received 40 student work study applications — for one job.

“This has never happened before,” said Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid. “We would like to think it is because we are a nice place to work.”

The University is trying to place more students than last year with work study jobs — hundreds lined up on the brick walkway outside Vance Hall on Aug. 24 to apply.

And the University is giving out less money than last year because students are more likely to take the money offered, she said.

Ort said students are more likely to take work study jobs offered to them instead of taking out loans.

“More students are valuing the ability to work,” she said. “Awareness of unemployment and their parents’ situations contribute to their appreciation for it.”

She added that the University offers work study like an airline sells plane tickets: They over-book so to ensure that the space is full, or in this case, so that all the money available is used. If the University did not do this, Ort said the total funding would not be used, because not all students accept work study jobs.

Suzanne Rucker, a museum administrator at Ackland Art Museum, said the museum hired 24 people this year, though at least three times that many applied for those positions.

“I got five to eight calls and e-mails a day with people wanting to know if positions are available,” she said.

Funding for the work study program comes from three sources: the federal and state governments and the University.

Ort said the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act gave UNC an additional $500,000 last year for its work study program. This year, those funds will not be coming.

Despite the decreased percentage of government funding, the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid will look for more ways to pay for the program, such as matching funds from the state.

And Ort said the University will figure out how to pay all the students who want jobs.

“Carolina has never rescinded offers of work-study or cut jobs, and we won’t this year either,” Ort said. “If more students accept the funds than what we have planned, we will use some institutional money that we have in reserve to cover the costs.”

Though there are still jobs available, the more interesting and higher-paying fill up more quickly, Ort said.

“The options are few if they don’t have work study jobs,” Ort said. “However, there are more jobs available than students pursuing them.”

The more sought-after jobs included ushers in theaters and research positions with UNC Hospitals.

Departments submit job descriptions to the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid for work study jobs after they have been approved by the department head. These jobs are then listed on the school’s work study website. The number of students who then receive jobs depends on the number a department can supervise.

“We all have different programs that we run,” said Josmell Perez, multicultural programs coordinator at the Department of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. “For example, I have six undergraduates working for me this year.”

The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid will monitor the work study payrolls this fall to see how much more money will be needed as the year progresses, Ort said.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.