Less work, more study: University limits students to 20-hour work weeks

Photo by Jeffrey Pierre.

Camila Fernandez/Staff Writer

Starting fall 2014, student employees will be limited to 20 hours per week.

This cap on student work hours comes after research by the Office of Retention and Graduation Success determined that limited work increases students’ chances of graduating in four years and achieving higher standards of academic performance.

“More students are now graduating in four years than in any other length of time. We have found that students can make satisfactory progress toward a four-year graduation when they limit their work to 20 hours per week or less,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Douglas Wartzok.

This is a decrease from the 30-hour limit this semester.

For students who have two campus jobs, any combination of hours between the two needs to add up to 20. This means, for example, 11 hours for one job and nine for the other.

Melissa Perdomo, a student library assistant at Green Library, has already had five hours cut from her previous 25-hour schedule.

“Obviously getting an extra day off is nice, but the lack of hours and money is upsetting,” said Perdomo, a junior computer engineering major.

“Obviously getting an extra day off is nice, but the lack of hours and money is upsetting,” said Perdomo, a junior computer engineering major.

She said, while it makes sense to give students extra time to focus on their studies, she appreciated the money more.

As of now, Perdomo does not find it necessary to leave her job at the University. She said it is convenient for her to work on school grounds as it provides flexibility to her schedule, especially since she lives 30 to 45 minutes away from campus.

But the new policy may have an unintended effect, pushing some students to seek more work hours off campus at jobs that are not accommodating to class schedules and heavy homework loads, thus negatively impacting academic performance and graduation rates the University is attempting to maintain or improve.

With over 30 years of working at the Graham Center as its executive director, Ruth Hamilton noted harmful effects the policy will have on University departments and student employees.

She said that for students who work at a front desk, it is understandable to give them a 20-hour limit, but for those who have positions that require extensive technical training, 20 hours may not be enough.

“Rather than having a 20-hour blanket for everybody, the University should look at areas of competency to make an exception for 30 hours,” Hamilton said.

Students have approached her with stress as to what they are to do, now that a limit of 20 hours is not enough for gas budgets, textbooks and overall living expenses.

Hamilton said that, while Human Resources plans to compensate departments by hiring more students, they have not considered giving current student employees a notice of the cut so that they can plan their new budgets.

“You have existing students who say, ‘Wait a minute; we already had financial plan for a year or two. Can you give us a notice? A transition so that we know what to do? Do we stay in the Graham Center or do we go find another job?’” Hamilton said.

Carolyn Jackson, director of recruitment services, said if students decide to look for outside employment, it’s their choice to make, but their “main role here should be as a student, which means that the majority of your time should be spent in classes doing course work so that you can be successful in your academic studies.”

“The way the University looks at student employment is that it should be a supplement to your academic studies,” Jackson said.

“The way the University looks at student employment is that it should be a supplement to your academic studies,” Jackson said.

She said the change should not be viewed as cuts, but rather as a benefit for students. Instead of having added pressure from their jobs, students can find a balance, being able to do their classwork and take more classes.

Jackson also said that for students who decide to look for outside employment, the choice is up to them. She does not foresee that the University’s employment pool will suffer from the cap.

“If you have a student that works 40 hours then you’re saying, ‘Well, you should be working 20 hours with your full-time academic load.’ Then that gives an opportunity for another student to be hired,” Jackson said.

“So it’s actually having the opposite effect, which is great.”

For spring, winter and summer breaks, working past 20 hours will be accepted.

– camila.fernandez@fiusm.com