Students are worried about how they will get the hours to pay tuition, personal bills, and even buy groceries. How can students be less stressed about earning money? The answer may seem simple, to work more and earn more, but there are rules and regulations that limit a student to the amount of hours they can work a week.

     Full-time students are not allowed to work more than eight hours a day and no more than 40 hours a week when school is not in session, and no more than 20 hours a week when school is in session.

     Having a job on campus is easy and convenient, doesn't require as much travel time, and always puts academics first.

     For example, SUNY Oswego Campus Recreation employs more than 65 student employees. Yes, this is a good amount of students that are getting a job, but how often are they working? "Students work between 12 and 16 hours a week on average," said Scott Harrison, assistant director of Campus Recreation.

     Some students are forced to get a second job, because they aren't getting nearly enough hours in a week to cover their expenses. Imagine working two jobs, studying and attending classes, staying involved with clubs, and maintaining a high GPA.

     "I had to work two jobs at one point because I wasn't getting enough hours through my on-campus job," said Morgan Macey, a junior at SUNY Oswego. "It was nearly impossible to be sure my schedules weren't conflicting. I was under a lot of stress."

     Casey Capstick, a sophomore at SUNY Oswego, said she only gets about six hours a week working in the dining hall. Although working two jobs would be stressful, she said, "I'd rather work two jobs at 20 hours a week, but only so I can work more hours at each job if the opportunity was there."

     Capstick said she worked two jobs throughout high school, and would work more than 20 hours a week if she could. She also picks up other students' shifts when possible.

     Harrison feels that "many students are capable of working more than 20 hours per week," although he wouldn't recommend changing the policy. Harrison also believes that some students would work 30 hours a week if the work was challenging, while others would only choose to work eight to ten hours per week.

     Harrison also said, "I think that in unique situations there should be exceptions to students working more than 20 hours per week and I would imagine from time to time there are exceptions to this rule."

     Furthermore, Shelly Sloan, a health promotions coordinator in SUNY Oswego's Lifestyles Center, said, "It is my opinion that they [students] learn to manage their time well and can fit everything in that they need to."

     Christina Lynch, a senior at SUNY Oswego works as a supervisor at Campus Recreation, said, "I would definitely work more than 20 hours a week, and I take 15 credits." Lynch feels that while in college she has learned to manage her time wisely and could handle more than 20 hours of work a week.

     An article in the Washington Post states that students are stressed about not being able to afford food and expresses the concerns of students. If the option were available for students to work more than 20 hours a week, they would be less concerned about their next meal or bills, and more focused on academics and growing as individuals.