Y. sets record with number of student employees; most colleges face high job demand

PROVO — By 4:30 each morning, 23-year-old Stephanie Willoughby is already on campus, turning on lights, unlocking doors, vacuuming hallways and emptying trash cans.

"The hours are nice," the BYU senior said with a half-laugh. "They don't interfere with classes, and also, I was just trying to find a job, and this was one of the only ones open, so I took it."

Willoughby is one of thousands of BYU students who both work and study on campus. In fact, BYU's student employment rate reached record levels in November with 14,054 students pulling in a BYU-signed paycheck — nearly half of the university's total student body of 32,947.

BYU is far above the national employment average according to numbers from a May 2006 report from the American Council on Education's Center for Policy Analysis. The report found that only 10 percent of working students were employed by the college or university they attended, compared with the 67.5 percent of students who worked off-campus for a for-profit company.

BYU's employment numbers for undergraduates and graduates have gone up 25 percent since 2000, when only 11,200 students worked on campus, said BYU spokesman Todd Hollingshead.

"The overall perspective we take in offering student jobs is that it's a way to offer financial aid, in a way," he said. "It's an opportunity to have a job that's conveniently located on campus and make a wage while being in school."

And BYU's numbers will continue to climb because the university is dedicated to providing student jobs, especially given the less-than-favorable employment prospects off-campus.

The most common positions at BYU are teaching or research assistants, followed by custodians. Students also mow lawns, plant flowers, shelve books and scoop ice cream — everything it takes to keep a university running.

Up north, Utah State University students are quick to line up for the jobs of computer lab consultants, USU bookstore and office assistants, resident assistants and recreation center attendants, said Paula Johnson, human resource specialist in the USU student employment office.

However, the most coveted job is the summer position of scouting for exotic turtles. In Hawaii.

"That's the one my daughter wants," Johnson said with a laugh.