October brings 770 paychecks

As students begin their seasonal winter shopping, 714 of them received paychecks from the University of South Dakota in September, and 770 in October from university jobs, said Tena Haraldson, director of Communications and Media Relations.

The Office of Institutional Research states that these numbers include graduate students, work-studies and hourly student labor.

One student preparing for this new on-campus employment next semester is first-year Allison Wicks.

“I’m excited to start working at Chick-Fil-A,” she said. “I’ve always loved it for the food, but their service is always so polite. It’s a good fit for me.”

She said convenience is one reason to work on campus.

“You can save on gas money that way, and working for food service is good,” Wicks said.

Another institution which also employs students on campus is the University Police Department.

UPD employee Dean Tomkins said the department employs one student as a security guard and 16 as ticket writers.

The average salary is $8.50 an hour, and every year the paycheck is raised by 25 cents.

The general salary for food service workers is $7.25 an hour, the South Dakota’s minimum wage.

Most students work 15 hours a week for campus dining, and Wicks said she plans to do the same.

While on campus employment is popular with students, some search for work elsewhere.

David Saldana-Rico, a first-year transfer student, has worked at the Vermillion Hy-Vee since the beginning of the year.

He said Hy-Vee was a good fit for him because he wanted to adjust to the new campus slowly and wait to search for an on-campus job.

“I could walk or bike to Hy-Vee, it paid well and the food was pretty good if you chose to ate there,” he said.