There are two types of jobs available to students on the Trinity campus””federal work study and institutional jobs.
Federal work-study is a government program that allows students to earn money by partaking in mostly part-time on-campus jobs. These jobs range anywhere from assistant positions to athletic coaching to Center for Learning and Technology desk management.
The U.S. Department of Education gives Trinity a certain amount of funds per year specifically for those students who qualify to have a work-study job as prescribed in their financial aid package. In other words, if you qualify financially, you are guaranteed to have a job on Trinity’s campus if you want it and are willing to show up to it. These jobs require 8-10 hours of work a week and pay $7.25 per hour. The earnings from work-study jobs are given directly to students, and are meant to cover any personal expenses students may have.
Institutional jobs refer to any non-federal work-study jobs that are available on the Trinity campus. This means that they are open to anyone, financial status and FAFSA disregarded.
The following is a sample of Trinity students who have either federal work-study or institutional jobs.
Mike Ventresca:
What is your job? I work for the TU Phonathon. We call alumni and parents and ask them to make small donations to the school. These donations go towards anything from financial aid to scholarship programs to the new CCI building.
What are you paid/what are your hours? I actually just got a 30-cent raise, so I make $8.50 per hour (which is actually a dollar more than my roommate makes doing work-study). I make my own hours. I have to work two shifts a week for three hours each time and one alternate shift every other week.
Is it work-study or institutional? Institutional.
Favorite part? My favorite part of this job is that I get to talk to alumni from all over the country. I get to talk to old men. I talked to a radio host. It was cool. The community is really great up there at the Phonathon; it really is.
What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of work-study vs. institutional? I feel like the work-study is mostly sitting at a desk not really doing anything, whereas my job is slightly stressful””I am busy the whole time.
Why did you take this job? I needed the money. It pays pretty well.
Kimi Siu:
What is your job? I am a Trinity tour guide. I work in admissions. My job entails giving tours to prospective students and their families by walking them around campus.
What are you paid/what are your hours? I am paid $15 per hour. I will be working 2-3 hours per week.
Is it work-study or institutional? Institutional.
Favorite part? My favorite part is showing people the campus, because it is so beautiful. Trinity tours are different than other tours, because I get to incorporate a lot of personal experiences into the tour.
What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of work-study vs. institutional? I don’t know the difference, really.
Why did you take this job? It was interesting to me. I worked with Trinity Distinguished Representatives, which is also with prospective students. It seemed fun. I like showing people the campus.
Rebecca Jenks:
What is your job? I work for the baseball department. I do recruiting. I email the potential recruits and put them in the database. I also give campus tours to all of the high school seniors. I help the team with ordering shirts. I organize camps. I book hotel rooms. I do day-to-day things that the coaches need help with.
What are you paid/what are your hours? I work 10 hours a week, $7.25 per hour.
Is it work-study or institutional? Work-study.
Favorite part/least favorite part? I love being in the office with all of the assistant coaches, because they are funny people. I love giving tours, because you get to talk to players and parents. My least favorite part is that it is really busy. It is hard to get my 10 hours in every week. I got the job because the first day I came to Trinity I went to the athletic department and found out the baseball department was looking for people to hire through work-study. I actually use all of my work-study money to pay for my tuition.
What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of work-study vs. institutional? I think at an institutional job you get paid more. Work-study is supposed to be where you can actually work and study at the same time, like the students who work at the front desk do whenever they are free.
Why did you take this job? I liked what the job entailed. I like my boss. He is really easygoing.
Chase Lee:
What is your job? I am a student assistant at the CLT. I man the front desk and receive calls from people who have tech problems around campus. I try to coordinate people to go out and fix those problems. I help patrons of the CLT rent and use equipment.
What are you paid/what are your hours? I have no idea. My money goes straight to my bank account. I work in the mornings, Monday-Thursday.
Is it work-study or institutional? Work-study.
Favorite part/least favorite part? I don’t know how to use all of the equipment and computer programs. The people who work there are nice, the hours are flexible. It is very calm. I get to do my homework; I can study when it’s slow. I get to wear a necklace with my name on it. It’s awesome. Chicks love it.
What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of work-study vs. institutional? I don’t know anything about institutional. It is easier to find work-study jobs. There are more of them.
Why did you take this job? I like the hours, and it is on campus, which is awesome because it is so convenient. The people are really nice.
Visit the Human Resources page on the Trinity website for a list of on-campus jobs that are available.
