The student work program at Hardin-Simmons University sees 300-350 students employed on campus throughout the year, and every year students scramble to find a place among the employed. Many of the students who do find jobs keep them from semester to semester, so not all jobs are available all semesters.
The best time to start looking for work on campus, according to Stephen Brower, associate director of financial aid, is generally 30-45 days before the beginning of the term. “Job postings are made in advance of the spring term and the summer term, but by far, the largest number of postings is in advance of the fall semester,” he says.
Most departments and offices need a modest number of student workers, while Richardson Library stands as the biggest employer on campus with about 100 positions every year.
Students may work a maximum of 15 hours per week, with all but tutoring positions paying minimum wage.
Brower says, “Electing to participate in the Work Study program is a balancing act between time spent in class, at work, studying, personal recreation, and sleep. The students’ work schedules are secondary to their class schedules, so unlike a conventional hourly job, work time is fit to a student’s class time.”
“Income from the job is counted as financial aid rather than ordinary income,” says Brower, “so pay from Work Study does not adversely affect a student’s FAFSA information.”
More importantly, he believes participating in Work Study while also attending school is “an implicit statement of resolve; a respectable addition to one’s résumé.”
Job vacancies can be found through Blackboard, https://hsubb.hsutx.edu/.