KAELYN WOJTYLKO
STAFF WRITER
When walking around the campus you never really stop to think who is paying for college straight out of pocket, who is only here because of scholarships, who is paying for everything by themselves, who is having their parents pay their way for things, etc. Many students are having struggles with money, and you’d never realize because we all are all struggling when you look at the grand scheme of things.
As a student worker who was part of the Work to Earn Program during my first year at college, I was constantly getting asked why I needed to have an on-campus job. Many people did not realize that a large percentage of students on campus are paying their way through college and need a job to buy basic necessities and groceries. This is something that needs to be discussed.
When adding in the factors of rising tuition, groceries and all general necessity prices, things are getting quite costly and stressful to maintain. Many students have no clue how much their loans are going to end up costing them in the future. As interest increases on loans and tuition increases, the amount of debt that current students will see down the road also increases.
With the increase in tuition, many students are no longer able to afford to continue going to college. Being unable to pay for school is definitely a factor in some students’ decisions to leave college campuses across the country. It’s sad to see fellow classmates having to drop out simply because tuition prices are far too pricey.
Looking for jobs around Alma that will match with your busy class schedule can be seemingly impossible, especially if you do not have a car on campus. Handshake can be helpful, but mainly at the beginning of the school year. However, most students do not start look ing for a job before assessing how much of a workload they have with their classes, so they do not overload themselves.
Minimum wage is another factor that can be conflicting in paying for everything. Most jobs that college-age people can get are based around minimum wage, which is only $9.45. You definitely cannot forget Uncle Sam’s cut in your paycheck, so that brings the money you earned lower than what minimum wage is!
Although not everyone’s financial situation is a problem for them, there are quite a few students who have their parents or family helping them out along their college careers. Many of those students have all they need and can get by just fine without getting a job. Some of them, however, still have a job so they do not have to ask their parents for more money due to knowing the tuition price is so high.
There’s a common theme throughout the campus when it comes to finances. Tuition is increasing and it already is high as is. What is going to happen if it continues going up? Are students going to keep dropping out because they cannot afford it?
Tuition prices are over $50,000 a year and continue to rise. The college does not help when it comes to limiting how much money is being used on water, electricity, food. The lights in Hamilton Commons, Swanson Academic Center, the library and several other buildings are constantly left on overnight when no one is in the buildings. Food is constantly wasted because there is an overabundance made, and most students refuse to eat and Hamilton commons due to various dietary reasons.
There are several different ways to cut down college costs. Some college-age students are struggling for no reason because some people do not know how to live life cost-efficiently. We want a change in the tuition, so why not be the change.
