Mailroom student employees at the Highsmith Student Union were forced to cut down hours after management announced shifts would be less available.
“I was working 14 to 15 hours a week. My hours weren’t quite cut in half, but being cut back on hours, that’s $50 per week and that adds up to $100 per paycheck I’m not getting,” said mailroom employee and Student Ambassador Gemma Mohan.
Mailroom employees were notified by management that starting Sept. 18 they would not be able to work more than 10 hours a week.
“It’s frustrating. Last year at this point in the semester, I was working a different job. It’s always complicated because I have been working odd jobs for the past year,” Mohan said. “My shifts this year as an ambassador were cut back and the shifts we have are different. I thought I could pick up extra shifts in the mailroom to make up for that, and now I can’t. Like, dang! You’re killing me here.”
According to a mailroom official, the available shifts were cut down because of a decrease in the volume of packages being sent to the mailroom. As a result of this, less people were needed during each shift.
“I already have two jobs, I’m looking for a third job. I need to find a job that fits into my schedule and everything is so wild. I already work six days a week, Monday through Friday,” Mohan said.
According to a mailroom official, shifts that had previously been staffed by four people for every half hour of operation are now cut down. At the busiest times, three people are needed. Only two people are signed up for slower shifts, and one person works the closing hours.
“If everyone is working 15 to 20 hours a week, we would need to let the student employees go when the budget runs out,” a mailroom official said. That time was estimated to be March 2024.
According to a mailroom official, the number of shifts available moving forward will be dependent on the amount of packages received by the mailroom. More employees per shift will be needed again if there is an influx of shipments.
“The changes at the mailroom have been very stressful. It’s been a source of anxiety for me. In all honesty, I’ve given up on caring because it’s not like I can do anything about it. I can’t quit because I need the money, but I can’t get a second job because my schedule is so jam-packed there is no room for a second part-time job,” said Deb Irwin, mailroom employee.
According to a mailroom official, another reason for these changes is the adjusted Highsmith budget. The budget for the mailroom had previously gone through campus housing and is now transferred to Highsmith for the new fiscal year.
A mailroom official said shift availability is also reduced with the promise of raises for student employees and the opportunity for staff members to interview for a student manager position. This is to make sure that the budget will stretch far enough with the increase in payment.
The budget is influenced by student enrollment. Enrollment numbers have seen a steady decrease in the last five years. The amount of students has an impact on budgeting.
According to Jeff Konz, director of institutional research, 726 freshmen have enrolled at UNC Asheville for this semester. There are 2,907 students enrolled in fall 2023. This information was recorded 10 days into the semester.
There were 913 freshmen enrolled at UNCA in fall 2018. There were 3,762 students enrolled in Fall 2018.
“I know our bosses can’t do anything to change it, but I really hope they can find a way to let work-study students work more hours because I was promised a certain amount of financial aid from it and I depend on that estimated amount to know how much I need to take out in loans,” Irwin said.
According to university officials, Federal Work Study is a financial aid program that is federally funded. Students are eligible for work-study upon the completion of FAFSA forms and based on the funding available to the school.
Students are given FWS funds as part of their financial aid and they are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours per week at an on-campus job. The maximum amount that a student can make from FWS is $2,700 annually. This corresponds to $1,350 per semester.
According to a mailroom official, half of the work-study money is federally funded and the other half comes from Highsmith.
“As far as fairness, it’s hard to say that because a student is work-study that they can be granted 12 or 15 hours. Then it’s not fair to other people who are really struggling to get 10 hours. That’s where the equity comes in,” a mailroom official said.
