Tangents and Tirades

by The Cowl Editor on January 31, 2019


Opinion


Student buying food at campus cafe.
Students can find Simply to Go products at Eaton Street Café. Photo courtesy of Providence College Dining Hall.

Wanted: On-Campus Employment for ‘Broke College Students’

The cliché of the “broke college student” has grown hackneyed for a reason. A college degree for most students and their families is typically unaffordable. 

However, in today’s society, obtaining a job that ensures financial security without an undergraduate degree proves to be tremendously difficult.  

Between the price of tuition, room and board, and steep rental fees, the expenses of college are unreasonably costly.    

Despite the convenience of the availability of on-campus jobs at Providence College, such employment opportunities are rarely advertised on any overt public platform, such as the morning mail, bulletin boards in Ray or in the Library, or on PC social media accounts.  

To that end, students must navigate a poorly publicized website for job listings, which is irregularly updated, or rely on an occasional email from the head of the department of their major about an open position in their office. 

This makes the search for consistent work during the school year exceedingly difficult, as off-campus jobs also prove impractical because the majority of PC students would have no means of transportation to their place of employment, since students are not allotted parking spots on campus until their junior year.  

Essentially, the eight months of the year that college courses are in session are a long period of time to be without employment, particularly for students who will be buried in college debt come graduation. So do us all a favor, PC, and publicize on-campus jobs as overtly as possible—we promise we’ll fill your open positions. 

—Alyssa Cohen ’21

 

Accept Swipes for Simply to Go Products Campus-Wide

As college students, most of us have had our fair share of days where we find ourselves too busy to sit down for a meal at Ray. 

Thankfully, there are several on-campus options for students with jam-packed schedules to grab food during those few minutes in between classes.

Alumni Hall, Flo’s to Go, Ruane Café, and Eaton Street Café all carry Simply to Go meals, which are pre-packaged sandwiches, salads, and various other items for students in a hurry. 

However, depending on the dining location you visit, the forms of payment that are accepted for these items differ. 

Simply to Go meals can be purchased using either a meal swipe, Friar Bucks, or cash at Alumni Hall and Flo’s to Go. 

However, the option to use a meal swipe is not available at Ruane Café and Eaton Street Café, where these products can only be bought using Friar Bucks or cash.

All meal plans are different, and many students on campus do not have Friar Bucks. 

Why should a student without Friar Bucks be forced to use cash to buy a Simply to Go product at Ruane Café if they could get the same item at Alumni using one of their meal swipes?

Providence College should fix the incongruence in payment options that cover Simply to Go items around campus. 

If we can purchase a PB&J using a meal swipe one place, it is only logical that we should be able to do so everywhere they are sold.   

—Kelly Wheeler ’21