MARCH 12, 2021
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CHANGE IN WORK STUDY JOBS CHANGES IN WS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. MARISA WEST COMMUNICATOR
Many students rely on a form of financial aid to pay for college tuition. While some just use grants and loans to pay for college, others use the Work study Program for additional funds. Work Study is part of the financial aid department, but it functions like a job for the different departments of the school. “The Work Study Program (WS) provides the opportunity for students to earn money while gaining work experience,” the Spokane Falls Community College website said. “Students gain valuable job experience and an opportunity to evaluate their program of study
and career goals. Work study is not a grant; you must work to earn it.” It performs just like a traditional job and pay rates may vary between jobs. The most common job opportunities are available on campus, but because of COVID-19 some former restrictions and requirements have been adjusted to accommodate the ever changing campus. One of the requirements, before early 2020, was that all work had to be completed on campus. With the pandemic shutting down the campus and later restricting it, work study jobs have had to accommodate regulations and allow students to work remotely. “My degree is in the tech industry so the transition to online hasn’t been all that difficult,” Matt Evens said. “However meeting people online just doesn’t
have that same human element as meeting them in person does.” “Communication is much more difficult when not in-person,” Dane Washington, a philosophy tutor, said. While keeping COVID-19 from spreading through the campus, the restrictions have affected the feeling of the campus differently than before. Even the student jobs have taken a toll. “I find it more fulfilling to sit next to somebody as we both brainstorm ideas on how to make a paper better or drag up all that Econ knowledge that I haven’t used in years to try and explain some principles that they’re confused on,” Evens said. “So while mechanically doing the job hasn’t really increased in difficulty, the barrier that COVID has erected between people has
COMMUNICATOR | MARISA WEST
Central point for work study and admissions offices sure seemed to drop morale.” Some tutors feel that tutoring doesn’t feel different. “I was in WS last year before COVID, the WS isn’t the different part, it is the tutoring techniques that are changing,” Washington said. The pandemic has changed the campus in
so many ways, but at its core the work study program is still in place to assist students with paying for college while getting experience. Work study jobs are available every quarter. Results from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, will inform you if you qualify.
PASSING TIME NEW HOBBIES USED BY STUDENTS CORBIN WILLMORTH COMMUNICATOR With all of the time that everyone now has, what are we doing with it? The World Health Organization classified the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic in March of 2020. Soon after, multiple state governors across the US had declared state-wide quarantines. Everyone was required to stay indoors and not leave the house except for essential reasons such as work or getting groceries. When the quarantine first started, most people around the nation and the world were unsure what to do. Looking at social media during this time, people either had their world turned upside down because they were always outside socializing or they practically
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lived indoors and this quarantine hadn’t affected their daily routine. Once the trend of things such as ‘quarantine projects’ had begun, people suddenly realized that one thing they could do to pass the time was to pick up a hobby. In the year that has passed since the quarantine began, people have ultimately found ways to spend that time. Video games, house plants, sourdough starts, binging the latest documentaries about murderous owners of tiger habitats, etc. We may know what activities are the most popular amongst the people at large, but what are some activities that are being favored by students? “When it was still warm outside, I was doing a lot of bird watching,” said student
ILLUSTRATION | MARISA WEST
Rachel Douglas, “Now that it’s colder, I’ve started to really enjoy cooking.” “Film photography,” said student Jarrett Hunt, “Been developing some film at home to pass the time.” “I have started drawing, when not busy with school work,” said student Cerissa Leach. “Playing a lot of chess,” student, Ilya Alekseevd said. “Writing a book on my daily life
and realizing that it will take years to write [and] studying my human rights book a lot, this pandemic showed how corrupt the system really is!” “Yoga and audiobooks,” said student Janae Carrothers, “Lots of self-development and reflection.” Reading, cooking, art, and exercise appear to be the most notable quarantine activities amongst SFCC students. www.communicatoronline.org
