The Work-Study Blues

ICC continues to resolve funding and communication errors concerning the student labor force.

On March 22, 2010 a heartbreaking email was sent to notify all ICC faculty members that student labor was to cease that day. Most questions and concerns seemed to be left dangling in mid-air, and students began worrying more about their financial situations than their education. Many students who lost their jobs have suffered financially, as well as staff members who are now finding themselves overwhelmed with work that student laborers had once assisted with. The future for the work-study program at ICC still holds signs of hope, but can the lack of communication between departments be avoided in the future?

When an individual goes through the loss of a job it is easy to try and blame one particular person. When a group of individuals are laid off from a job the finger gets pointed at the company as a whole. It is hard to look past the damage that has been inflicted upon the students at ICC to try and form a solution out of the problem.

According to Chief Fiscal Officer Jan Fischer, $116,000 was allotted for the work-study program this fiscal year; $66,500 of that amount had been federally funded, and "the money simply ran out." The work-study funds that were originally budgeted for the 2009-2010 fiscal year ceased to exist and to pull money from another organization could have caused a shortage in funds in that particular group. Fischer goes on to say that this is not a good time for higher education in Kansas.

Financial Aid Coordinator Shelia Smither acknowledged that joint decisions between Student Services and the Business Office were made to bring work-study employment to an end. The finances had ultimately depleted due to an overage of employees and hours. In order to keep within the budget, employees were to have 20 hours or less on their timesheets. Smither stated that another factor that played into the exhaustion of funds was that there were more students employed in the program than they had initially budgeted for.

Unfortunately the student body and faculty members are still under distress. Maryann Blankenship, a former work-study employee, has been troubled since March 22. "Without being notified two weeks in advance, I wasn’t able to pay for my gas to get to school and I didn’t have time to find a job," she said.