It oftentimes isn’t long after hitting campus that college students learn the meaning of “poor college student.”
But in a declining economy, the phrase packs an even greater punch.
It’s for that reason that students are getting even more creative to find ways to get a good meal, get some extra cash and even pay their way through school.
It’s also why college faculty and staff, as well as campus and church ministries, are going the extra mile to help them.
Take Nate Young, for instance.
“We’ve avoided inflation at the Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) so far,” he said with a laugh.
Young, campus minister at the University of Alabama (UA), said the midweek lunch offered to students has been $1 for as long as he can remember.
“Students have mentioned to us that it’s nice to be able to get a nice meal for a buck,” he said.
But the BCM isn’t just feeding students on the cheap — it’s instrumental in teaching them how to manage their money, too.
“I’m on a strategic health team for financial matters (at UA), and we have been working on having Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace curriculum available for the students. We will be offering that on campus this year,” Young said.
Churches also are stepping up to reach out to students attending colleges in their area, using ministries such as the Moocher Ministry at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills, in Birmingham Baptist Association.
The Moocher Ministry — basically an adopt-a-college-student program — pairs students with families in the church who minister to them by providing them with home-cooked meals, letting them do laundry at their house or helping them in other ways.
“The relationship goes as far as the student and the family want it to go,” said Chad Cossiboom, university minister at Shades Mountain Baptist. “Some have them over regularly for movie nights or take them out to eat lunch every Sunday after church, and others invite them over and then send them back to the dorm with leftovers for later.”
Trace Hamiter, minister to college students at First Baptist Church, Opelika, in Tuskegee Lee Baptist Association, said his church is kicking off the school year with a free meal to welcome Auburn University students back to campus.
Hamiter said he and his wife also open their home to college students throughout the year for an occasional night meal or dinner after church.
“Some of them feel very appreciative financially, and some because we open our home — for those, it’s more about community than the economy,” he said. For that reason, he noted it meets both physical and spiritual needs.
Colleges themselves also are looking for ways to help give students a leg up, encouraging them to pursue all resources available to relieve tuition costs.
The actual out-of-pocket cost “is often lower than you may think,” said Marie Batson, associate vice president for enrollment services and director of financial aid at the University of Mobile.
She said families should talk to financial aid counselors at a college being considered before deciding that it may be out of their price range, as the school might be able to find a way to help a student make ends meet.
“There may be grants, loans, work-study or university-funded scholarships available that would apply to your particular situation, and many colleges such as the University of Mobile offer monthly payment plans that help college fit into the family budget,” Batson said.
Work-study and on-campus jobs have definitely proven to be a help for students like Matt Morse, a junior at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.
Morse, who’s always had at least two jobs every semester he’s been at Union, said the income from flexible on-campus jobs has always been helpful but especially the last year or so with the economy the way it is.
“Life’s expensive with textbooks, tuition and gas, and with prices going up, you get a lot less for your dollar,” he said.
“My parents sell houses and with the housing market so bad, my jobs have been even more important, as they haven’t been able to help me out as much,” he explained. “And I also want to be able to have some independence as an adult so the extra income helps.”
Morse has worked “anywhere and everywhere,” some on campus and some off campus — as a youth intern at a church, as a resident assistant (RA) in the dorms, at career services, at a local elementary school and at Union’s information services.
The off-campus jobs tend to be within normal working hours, so the on-campus jobs give him more options — for instance, he can work until midnight at the library on campus, studying while he works.
Is it hard to juggle that much work?
“At times, it’s hard — it seems like all the tests come up at the same time,” he said. “But it works out. I pray a lot and I trust God and He provides. Wisdom comes from the Lord, so I’m trusting Him for everything. That’s what’s helped me get through so far, and that’s what will help me get through to the end.” (TAB)
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