A large proportion of Colorado State students work on campus — CSU is always hiring, and most of the offices on campus would not be able to run without the work of students, according to Frank Martinez, assistant director of student employment services.

“Every year we have about 1,600 work study students on top of about 6,500-7,000 students who are working hourly wage,” Martinez said. “This is about 25 percent of the total amount of students who attend Colorado State University.”

Some students seek on-campus jobs for the convenience, lifestyle and availability. By working in dining halls, offices, rec centers or research facilities on the CSU campus, students save a lot of time and money by not having to commute across town.

“The convenience is key. The fact I don’t have to leave campus for work and then come back to school is awesome,” said Marina Roberts, a social work major who works at Rams Horn in Academic Village. “The flexible schedule is great.”

Working in the dining halls requires face to face interaction with students and, according to Roberts, serving the food is better than working behind the scenes preparing it because it gives workers constant interaction with their peers.

“If you’re serving food they are nice to you and smile and say good morning and say thank you. Some even call you by your name on your nametag, which caught me a little off guard the first few times,” Roberts said. “That makes serving food the best station to work at.”

CSU employers are adept at working around student’s schedules, but there is a flip-side to these benefits. On-campus jobs can become draining and while students have the convenience of never leaving campus, it can begin to feel all-consuming, according to Ali Will, a personal trainer at the Recreational Center.

“You can end up not liking the place you work,” Will said. “I can’t go into the Rec anymore unless it’s for work because I’m so tired of always being here… when you’re there for work a lot. It’s almost as if you get stuck in this bubble and it’s hard to meet anyone outside of that CSU spectrum.”

With hours spent working on campus, students have a variety of interactions with their peers.

“Student workers are generally well treated and respected however, the way you’re treated definitely depends on your ranking,” Will said. “In general, the students are nice.”

While most students working on campus have no problems working for their peers, some experience challenges.

“Some think they are better than you,” Schweisow said.

Jobs on campus bring in students of many differences because of the convenience of location, the lifestyle it allows them to have while working around class schedules and other student activities.

From reception jobs, to administrative jobs, to lab opportunities, housing and dining services, federal agencies off campus, the library and even the help of professors.

“The advantages are that it is close and you can work even if you have weird class breaks,” said Shay Schweiso, sophomore receptionist at the Microbiology lab. “The disadvantages — if they need something, you don’t have an excuse not to come in.”

Collegian Reporter Josephine Bush can be reached at news@collegian.com.