By Kelsey Bennett
Daily Orange, Syracuse

(UWire)--Amid a worsening economy and rising tuition costs, students are working longer hours to pay the bills.

Rising tuition has kept Kendra Tatusko, a junior biology major, working two jobs on top of being a full-time student.

"The cost of attending here has gone up in the three years that I've been here," said Tatusko. "So each year I have to find some way of affording the extra money that Syracuse puts on."

Tatusko holds one job as a resident adviser and another as a research lab assistant in order to put herself through school. In total, she said she works about 29 hours a week.

"I think working in college is one of the best decisions a person can make. It teaches students responsibility and how to manage their time, which will help them later in life."
-Camille Donabella"As an RA, I get free room and board which helps a lot," she said. "My other job is mostly just so I can have extra money to buy shampoo."

But she said no part-time job will ever make a significant decrease in her tuition.

"If you're not getting significant help from scholarships, significant help from your parents, or significant help from loans, you're not going to find a job on campus that will pay $50,000 a year," she said.

Tatusko is one of many students who have found the need to hold one or more part-time jobs while attending SU.

Camille Donabella, manager of SU's student employment services and acting director of Upstate New York's Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, said she's noticed a recent increase in students looking for jobs.

"There are peaks and valleys, really, but there are definitely more students in my office these days," Donabella said. "I think working in college is one of the best decisions a person can make. It teaches students responsibility and how to manage their time, which will help them later in life."

Donabella said her department also focuses on making sure students don't become overwhelmed while balancing school and a job. The average student works about 10 hours a week, she said.

Vinny Palazzo, a sophomore information studies major who works at the main desk in Booth Hall, said working while in school has been a positive experience.

"It's great to be able to get an extra 50 bucks a week because the money on my debit card goes fast," he said.

SU's bookstore, recreational services and food services are among the departments with the highest number of student workers, employing 60, 300, and 1,200 students, respectively.

But with the struggling economy, more and more students are looking for jobs. And while the university tries to provide more student jobs, it's becoming harder for its student employees to get the hours that they'd like.

"They hired so many people last semester that they had to cut back my hours," Palazzo said.

As a result, many students have ventured off campus to find jobs. Eighty percent of the staff members at Jimmy John's and fifty percent of Pita Pit staff members are students, according to managers. Jimmy John's has become known for its "Rockstars Wanted" sign that hangs in the window, encouraging students to apply for jobs.

"Students tend to be great employees, because they can be so flexible with their hours and they are good to have on call in case people get sick," said Sherry Holmes, who has been the manager of Pita Pit for seven years. "It's also great because they can let you know what's going on around campus."

Sean Spivey, Jimmy John's manager of 18 months, agreed.

"We want college kids as customers, so it's great to have them work here, because it gives it a fun atmosphere," he said. "One challenge, however, is getting students to learn how to manage their time and take responsibility for themselves, and finding replacements if they are sick."