Author:
I would like to respond to Christina LeBlanc’s article “Work Study: Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems?” I do not agree with Ms. LeBlanc’s claim that “Oxy doesn’t make it any easier” in regards to finding a job and fulfilling your work award. I have been on work study since my freshman year and have worked for four years in the same department. I originally did not get the job the first time I applied.
Ms. LeBlanc claims that the “unhelpful administration” (I don’t know if she’s referring to Human Resources, Financial Aid or whomever) did not make the process of finding a job any easier. I disagree with this assertion that she makes. Mrs. Karen Salce and the rest of the HR department are very helpful in finding jobs for students on campus. I recall Mrs. Salce personally making phone calls for me to departments that were looking for work study students until she found me a position. People need to go to HR and ask for help, not expect others to come to them with job openings.
Ms. LeBlanc claimed that the “administration placed a limit of 15 hours per week that any student can work on campus.” This statement is false and shows a lack of journalistic ethics—getting your facts straight. Administration did not place this limit on the hours per week students are allowed to work, faculty did. This was done with our best interests in mind. If further research were done, Ms. LeBlanc would have discovered that there is a way to work more hours via permission from the Dean of Students.
Ms. LeBlanc brings up another point that “raising wages for students would come at no extra cost to the school, and decrease the stress of students striving to earn allotted amounts.” A pay raise is always welcomed; however, this would bring extra costs to the school and would not decrease the amount of stress of students striving to earn their allotted amounts. On the contrary, work awards would be used up more rapidly, which would then cost the school more money, as it would be forced to pay out of its own budget the wages earned after the work award. This would in turn not decrease stress amongst students but would have students scurrying to the financial aid office to try and raise their work award.
Perhaps by coincidence, six pages later Ms. LeBlanc writes an article entitled “Forget Santa Monica, I’m Shopping in Eagle Rock,” an article talking about the shopping scene in Eagle Rock. I find it ironic that Ms. LeBlanc complains about the wages that Oxy work study pays, yet claims that “a classic pair of vintage Chanel slingbacks is a steal at under $100.” Apparently Oxy does pay enough if that’s a “steal.” I guess Oxy work study does pay that well after all.
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