Employment, or lack thereof, is having a large impact on students.
The nation has heard it a lot in the past few months: the economy stinks. And, no matter how hard Obama may try, this economic crisis won’t clear up right away. Chances are students will be saying the same thing about the economy when they’re walking out of their finals and getting ready for the summer.
Jobs and the economy come hand-in-hand. If one is hurting, the other is, too. For the unemployed, the graveyard shift at the 24-hour IHOP is starting to sound tempting.
Katherine Lacy, a senior international affairs major, said she has been desperate in her job search.
“I’ve even looked into a nursing home,” Lacy said.
The CU Foundation Call Center on campus recently hired a handful of new employees but is not accepting any more applicants for another month, Lacy said.
According to CNN, there were over 100,000 layoffs last week alone. Not only does this mean even more bad news with unemployed rates sky-rocketing, but it also means bad news for CU students.
Ben Gallaher, a junior civil engineering major, said he’s trying to get a job or an internship set up for the summer.
“A lot of companies aren’t sure if they’re going to hire because it’s not in their funds to pay more employees,” Gallaher said. “They’re canceling internships because they can’t afford to pay interns.”
Local Boulder businesses and restaurants are being hit, too.
Erika Larson, a sophomore political science major, said she must work extra hard as a waitress.
“Since we aren’t getting as much business, there’s obviously not enough money coming in to pay all employees,” Larson said. “Servers have to take over the busser’s job because it saves the restaurant money.”
Although times are tough, there are recent changes that may help students out of the slump, if even a little bit.
“I hope when the stimulus package takes effect, it will change things,” Larson said. “It’s depressing, but I feel if people don’t spend money, the economy won’t flow and nothing will get better.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Taylor Coughlin at Taylor.coughlin@colorado.edu.
