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By: Robin Guevara, Student Employment Manager

There is a common fallacy that both students and parents come to college with: that students won’t have time to work, or that working will interfere with their academics. In actuality, working up to about 15 hours per week can positively contribute to a student’s investment in staying in college and graduating. So, instead of interfering, working is what students ought to be doing. The reasoning behind this, as well as the studies that show its effect, is that students who work, especially on campus, build community far more effectively than students who do not, and they make an important financial contribution toward their education. Besides establishing relationships with staff that increase their sense of investment in all they are doing, students are also more likely to take advantage of campus resources available to them. After all, higher education is all about learning and experiencing new things, as well as trying things out and perhaps, on occasion, even being surprised by what you did not know.

Will your student be looking to get a job in the fall?  Students have several ways to work while going to Gonzaga. An email has already been sent out to all incoming freshmen and transfer students alerting them to the various ways to get a job when they get here. Be sure your student has activated his/her Zagmail email so they get pertinent information being sent to them this summer about what to expect in the fall. The key is be informed, act early and be persistent. Students should also let Student Employment know how the job search is going so we can assist them.

On-campus employment consists of either Federal Work Study (FWS) or Institutional jobs. FWS is part of the student’s financial aid award. Institutional jobs are paid for by each department’s budget and are much more competitive.  All on-campus jobs will be posted on-line on August 18th at www.gonzaga.edu/studentemployment.

Students offered State Off-Campus Work Study will be sent an email regarding how to find jobs in that program. We realize going off campus is not ideal for a freshman, but with our resources of where the jobs are and which are closest to campus, students can make this option successful.

There is also a Community Job Board at www.gonzaga.edu/studentemployment which offers off-campus jobs in the Spokane community. Please note that this is a “real” job and that mandatory hiring paperwork must be completed. Incoming students planning to work at Gonzaga will need to bring original documentation for the I-9 Employment Eligibility Form consisting of an unexpired passport, OR, an original social security card, OR an original or certified birth certificate. Don’t leave home without at least one of these!

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