Kansas University functions with the help of hundreds of student employees who serve at on-campus jobs throughout nearly all of its departments and schools.

“I think every office has some kind of student help,” said Ann Hartley, associate director of KU’s University Career and Employment Services.

“Even in our offices, we have four or five students, making sure all the jobs are uploaded on our Web site or answering questions. A lot of offices really rely on students to keep their programs going. They do an awful lot of important work for us.”

You name the kind of job at KU that needs to be done, and chances are there’s a student doing it.

“A couple of our bigger employers are student housing and the libraries, then doing facility-type work across campus and (food service jobs in) the cafeterias. But then there’s lots of other departments. Many students want to work in the new rec center (the Student Recreation Fitness Center), because there’s lots of fun jobs there,” Hartley said.

Career and Employment Services continually updates a Web site — www.ku.edu/~uces — featuring the latest listing of on-campus job opportunities for KU students.

“Last August, about 150 jobs were offered. I’m interested to see what the numbers do this year, because budget cuts have affected our offices (at KU). We may see a little decrease in terms of numbers of jobs listed,” Hartley said.

During the 2002-2003 academic year, a total of 359 part-time, on-campus jobs for students were listed on the Web site, according to Meghann Maddux, 22, a fifth-year senior who works in Career and Employment Services.

The number of part-time, on-campus jobs that are available to students typically diminish as the fall semester goes on.

Meghann Maddux and Jen Van Ruyven, St. Catharines, Ontario, help other Kansas University students find employment through the Career and Employment Services office at Burge Union. The pair organized library materials during a cleaning day in July.

There are several factors that explain why KU students want to acquire these jobs.

“It’s something that you can often work around your class schedule while you’re on campus, so there’s a convenience factor. And you develop more relationships on campus, in terms of getting to know people,” Hartley said.

“I think you’re a little more part of KU, because you get to know faculty and staff better. I don’t know if students really realize what an advantage that can be down the road. They can be a good reference for you.”

Transportation is another factor. Many students don’t have cars they can use to get to off-campus jobs. So working at KU is much easier.

For on-campus jobs, the regulations are that students who are employed on an hourly basis can’t work more than 30 hours per week.

“We don’t usually recommend that they work more than 10 to 20 hours a week. I think students who work some hours do better than those who don’t work at all, because they have to manage their time efficiently. Twenty hours a week is a good cap,” Hartley said.

The minimum wage on campus is $6 per hour. But if a job is computer related, requires technical skills or is a specialized, graduate-level position, it could pay more — possibly $10 to $12 per hour.

Jennifer Van Ruyven, 23, is a fifth-year senior from Ontario, Canada who works in Career and Employment Services. She usually works 15 to 20 hours per week in the office.

“It gives me a little extra spending money, and it’s convenient. Plus, I’m Canadian, so I can only work on campus. It’s the way visas work,” she said.

Taking an on-campus job has proved to be a good fit for Van Ruyven, who has a rowing scholarship to KU.

“I just go from class and I walk to work,” she said. “So it was really good for me.”