Written by Mikaela Gantz
As someone with a plethora of jobs at Roanoke I
feel like I am allowed to speak on this matter. I have 3 on
campus jobs and yet don’t make enough so I also have
to work off campus. I work for the Brackety-Ack (duh) as
an editor and a writer which I love doing. I also work as
an outdoor adventures specialist and in the Belk fitness
center for campus rec (literally the best job on campus I
love it so much). I also work for the center of spiritual life
(which is also amazing). All of this is to say that I really like
working on campus and it comes with a lot of benefits.
All of my managers understand that academics come
first, and I’m very easily able to schedule around them.
So on top of three jobs I really like doing, I’m
making sure that I am prioritizing academics, so even
with a busy schedule I feel very balanced. Additionally, I
never really have to go far for my jobs here. I walk over to
Belk or Colket, and occasionally go off campus for
outdoor adventures, but that’s nothing compared to a 15
minute drive multiple days a week to an off campus job.
I would much rather work my three on campus jobs and
leave it at that (because it’s already a lot). But
unfortunately, I cannot, due to the campus wide pay rate
below minimum wage at a whopping 9.5 an hour.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all of my jobs at
Roanoke, and it really is amazing working on campus.
But, for students who struggle financially like myself, 9.5
an hour just doesn’t cut it. It’s below the minimum wage
in Virginia (by a dollar and a half), which makes it
hard to buy groceries and pay bills. There are plenty of
people I know who work both on AND off campus jobs
due to this. Working off campus is great for building up
my savings, I just wish I didn’t have to do it. Roanoke
College is a great school, and I absolutely love it here.
However, there is always room for improvement, and I
think this is probably one of the areas that needs it.
