Christina Domenico | If I only had a job

Wanted: an on-campus job for a self-starting, motivated undergraduate with attention to detail and the ability to work independently. Minimum wage, 10-15 hours per week. Please?

Is that so much to ask for? Apparently it is, since I don't possess the coveted status of a Federal Work-Study student.

As I've learned on various occasions over the past three years, if you're not a work-study student, good luck with finding a job on this campus. You're more likely to get hired as a software engineer for Apple than as a research assistant in the Biology department.

"In the last fiscal year, there were 2,349 Federal Work-Study undergraduate and graduate students" in Penn, John Rudolph, manager of the Student Employment Office, said. "Currently, there are 1,348 work-study jobs, but that equates to 4,613 available positions."

I'm no economist, but there definitely isn't an equilibrium here. Though there are far too many jobs for the number of active work-study students, non-work-study students like me find themselves unable to make a buck.

Rudolph added that work-study jobs are so abundant on campus because the federal government pays for 60 percent of a student's earnings. Also, being deemed one of the few doesn't mandate your participation in the program. The students who can get many of these jobs simply aren't working - whether they choose to convert to a loan or fully concentrate on their studies.

At a university that touts its reputation as one of the foremost research institutions in the world, the majority of its students are almost shut out from being a part of that legacy. Because work-study status is need-based, many students don't qualify to get hands-on experience in the field of their choice.

College senior Jennifer Ball, a Psychology major, knew that she wanted to do research within the department this summer - but she's not a work-study student.

"I basically found my job through my teacher, but it was just volunteer work because you had to be work-study to get paid," she said. She searched around for other paying jobs and luckily heard through word of mouth that the Admissions Office hires both work-study and non-work-study students. It was the only option she had to receive any sort of salary for the summer.

Working for pay is important for many students, regardless of their financial standing. Whether they need money for groceries, rent or entertainment purposes - we all know that Penn students are notorious for going out downtown - an on-campus job goes a long way. A need-based federal aid package doesn't reflect that, yet it determines a student's ability to cover their own expenses independently.

Don't get me wrong: The work-study program is a great way for students to receive federal aid while working. It's the best deal imaginable for all parties involved. As Rudolph said, "It's done a lot of good. A lot of students find positions that complement their course of study. It's a good resume builder, gives students the opportunity to network and get recommendations."

But it remains an exclusive program.

Rudolph told me that departments must prove they can cover 40 percent of the position's salary when they create a work-study job. Even though these departments have already budgeted money for their work-study positions, many aren't getting filled.

If these departments aren't able to find work-study students to fill all the positions they offer, they should be able to condense these multiple openings into one position and offer it to non-work-study students as well.

Then more students like Ball would get paid for the research they do. Since many of these jobs aren't getting filled anyway, can't their budgeted money go toward paying the salaries of non-work-study students?

It's unfair that students who want to pursue research in their chosen field can't do so because of a complicated formula that slaps them with a certain status. There are many opportunities for academic employment, and Penn should find a way to grant access to those who truly want to work.

As Ball said, for non-work-study students "There are no options, and you really have to go outside of Penn to find good jobs."

But isn't that the real world? The last time I checked, we don't get there until after graduation.

Christina Domenico is a College senior from North Wildwood, N.J. Her e-mail is domenico@dailypennsylvanian.com. The Undersized Undergrad appears on Wednesdays.

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