Up to 100 new on-campus jobs will be created for the fall 2015 semester in response to concerns raised by students who feel the upcoming schedule changes will impede on their ability to have a manageable work schedule.
“The College will increase support for on-campus student employment for fall 2015,” said Stephen Hudik, assistant vice president of communications and public relations, in an email. “The opportunities are for commuter and residential students. We expect to support up to 100 new positions in various units across campus. Students should check the Cahill Center website for more information as opportunities will be posted on Archway.”
This initiative was announced in an email sent out on Friday from Provost Beth Barnett, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Chris Romano and Acting Dean of Students Melissa Van Der Wall.
“One of the key concerns voiced by many students was the challenge of balancing a schedule with work obligations and the impact it may have on the ability for students to attain part-time jobs locally,” the email stated. “In response to this concern, we have worked collaboratively with several divisions and are writing to announce that the College will be increasing the funding to support on-campus student employment beginning in fall 2015.”
There has been no word yet as to what specific jobs will be created or what divisions have been worked with.
Students have been able to communicate with Barnett, Romano and Van Der Wall about the schedule changes through the email address interimschedule@ramapo.edu, which was set up as a place for students to send their questions and anxieties about the change, and the town hall meeting hosted by SGA and attended by Barnett and Romano.
At the meeting, many students voiced their worries about balancing school and work. Commuter students specifically felt that having to travel to Ramapo for classes held three times a week would greatly affect their ability to schedule work hours, as many commuters try to schedule all of their classes on as few days as possible to cut down on commuting time and increase their work availability, according to those at the meeting.
“I work full time for a living and my entire ability to come here, go to college and get a degree is based on how many classes I can fit in a compact time slot,” said one student at the town hall meeting. “That is already remarkably difficult. I try to keep it to two days. Realistically, I usually have to do a night or a morning here and take off work. With classes being spread out it’s going to make that more difficult … If I can’t make enough during my day job to support coming to school then I simply cannot come to school, and I’m definitely not the only person in that situation – a lot of us work for a living.”
This statement was met with applause and murmured agreement by those at the meeting. Creating more on-campus jobs seems to be one way Barnett, Romano and Van Der Wall have attempted to address this concern.
Another accommodation announced in the email is the commitment to revise the shuttle schedule that transports students to and from the train station. Commuters at the town hall meeting also addressed the inconvenience of the shuttle times – that the shuttle does not come frequently enough or during times that align with classes, often making commuters who utilize public transportation late for class. In response to this, the email asserted that Ramapo “commits to align the shuttle schedule with the new class schedule.”
It is possible that more changes and accommodations in response to the schedule revision are to come, as the email closed with, “Thank you for your flexibility and for the candid feedback that you have shared with us. We will continue to listen to your concerns and to work across the time leading up to the fall semester on ways to address them.”
rking2@ramapo.edu