College students try to find a balance between work and school

By Chelsea Cote

As the cost of attaining a higher education rises, many students are finding themselves in a tight spot. More and more students have to find work either on or off campus while classes are in session. Having a busy day of schoolwork and then working one or more part-time jobs can really take a toll on the average student.

University of Massachusetts Amherst sophomore Sara Amell says that she works four jobs over the course of the year. She is a Residential Assistant on campus, while also working at the Bluewall Café, at a deli in her hometown, and she is also a lifeguard during the summer months. Amell said, “My parents can’t pay for my education, so it’s 100 percent on me.”

Amell is pursuing her dreams of a higher education, but it comes at a great cost. She works 10 hours per week at the Bluewall and her job as an RA is something that can't be measured in terms of hours, saying "It's pretty much an all day and night job."

Many students are finding that they need to work more often during the school year in order to make money to either pay for the high cost of a college education. Because of this, students are finding themselves even busier with schoolwork than they would be if they did not need to work.

According to a news release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, college students are more likely to participate in the workforce than high school students. More than half, 51.3 percent, of college students are in the labor force, and 85 percent of those students are enrolled full-time. This large amount of students all find themselves needing to make extra money on the side to keep up with rising expenses.

According to the university, the cost of attending UMass as an in-state student averages $22,124 per year, and the cost for an out-of-state student is much higher at $34,912 per year.

Many students say that having a job is a necessity, but it also hinders their ability to take the classes that they want, and it also affects the time that they can put into their studies.

UMass junior William Anderson works 16-18 hours per week while taking demanding engineering classes . “I can still manage my time, it’s just working that much during the week definitely takes a toll on my energy. I'm a broke college student that needs money" he said.

Anderson admits that his GPA is not where he wants it to be and he does not want to put it on his resume for future jobs and internships. But he says that he is confident that even though he is going though rough financial times right now, a career in civil engineering will be a financially stable one.

But for some students, financial worry does not stop at graduation. Many students will continue on to graduate school, which is another large expense. Senior Ariel Kaplan is planning on attending Columbia University next fall for her graduate degree in social work. “For grad school, I’m probably going to have to take out a loan or two because it’s over $60,000 a year” she said.

Kaplan currently works about seven to 10 hours per week on campus, but she admits that it was just so she could put it on a graduate school application. However, she is now realizing that it could help her with finances later on when she attends Columbia.

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Small town seeing more business while small businesses struggle

By Chelsea Cote

The small town of Coventry, Conn lies in the northern part of the state where big malls are replaced with state forests and New York City seems like a million miles away. But even in this quaint town where the biggest business is a CVS pharmacy, the residents and businesses are still feeling the pressure of the current economic recession.

More business are coming into town which keeps residents hopes high about the economic situation, but there are also ones that are struggling to make it through every month and this leads to many citizens wondering what will happen to their rural town and the property that they live on.

Rancesca’s Italian Bistro will be constructed on Daly Road according to the town’s monthly memo which also says, “We can also look forward to sidewalks reaching Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School with the receipt of a $400,000 State grant to tie into the recent construction on the Route 31 hill.”

This project along with the north Coventry fire station being renovated are two very much needed projects that the residents of Coventry have been trying to put into effect for almost two years.

But even though it may seem that more businesses and public works projects are the signs of better times, it is not the case for many existing businesses and the residents that live within the 38 square mile area.

Meet me on Main; a popular coffee shop and eatery located on Main Street in historic Coventry village is feeling the effects of the recession in a very big way. Even though every morning the shop is filled with faithful customers and businessmen eating breakfast before work, it is still not earning the profits it needs to keep afloat. Two employees were recently let go because there was simply not enough money to pay them, so the owner, Leanne Comeau needs to add more working hours to her already busy schedule.

Other recent businesses that have closed include, Constantino’s pizza restaurant and Coventry Antiques.

According the U.S. Census, in 2005 there were only 1,906 employees in the entire town of Coventry, and that number could keep fluctuating and even dropping if the trend continues. The two largest local employers are the town of Coventry and the Coventry board of education. The third is the local supermarket, Highland Park Market, which is known for hiring mostly high school students and recent graduates. More big businesses would certainly bring more jobs to the town.

But many homeowners in Coventry feel that they do not want their open space to be jeopardized. Resident Jean Cote says “the open space is what gives our town it’s charm. Many people live here just for that.”

The average price of a home in Coventry has decreased 6.6% in the last year, compared to a statewide drop of 4.7% and a national drop of 4.6%. Many residents fear that if more businesses come in to replace the smaller, locally owned businesses that the price of their homes will loose value, because property would be cut down by development and no one would be flocking to town because of the rural charm.

He says, “The real taxpayers will have to work harder, and property taxes will go up.”

According to Patrick Sullivan, a former board member in the town of Coventry, and economics professor, the state of Connecticut just had its bond rating dropped.

Even though big business would increase the number of jobs and the amount of money that would come into the town, the locals do not want to see the small business go under.