Lirona JoshiAbhigya Ghimire Even though they sound pretty similar to one another, the terms workship and work-study have a huge difference in their meanings. According to Troy University’s Financial Aid website, work-study programs are designed to assist students who are in need of employment to pursue their education. Students are assigned to work on campus for up to 15 hours per week at minimum wage depending upon the amount of their work-study award. “Work-study positions are given by Financial Aid, and they are based on the type of financial aid you have received,” said Jenna Richards, an assistant to the associate vice chancellor in Troy’s Human Resources office. “Students may work 15 hours a week in these positions, and the hourly rate is $7.25, and these positions aren’t posted anywhere.” Students apply for the work-study program while completing their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Priority is given to students with the lowest expected family contribution, which is determined using the information provided on FAFSA, who also receive federal pell grants. “From what I know, the earlier you get done with your FAFSA, the better chances you have with getting a work study,” said Aquanetta Tyler, a junior global business and human resources major from New Orleans. Tyler added that she worked with the work-study position with the international department back in 2015. Work-study positions are available in different departments in the university and the university itself reaches out to students who are eligible for those positions. “Troy emailed me saying that I had been awarded a work study and sent me files that I had to download and print off,” said Janiah Baldwin, a freshman social work major from Grove Hill. The work is designed in a way that the students are able to study while at work, relieving them of the stress of lagging on academics while trying to earn money. “I sit here at the reference desk, and if students have a question about where a book is or where they can find a journal, I help them with that,” Baldwin said. “I am able to study at work.” Workship programs, on the other hand, are student positions that may be held by any full-time student and are non-binding to any form of scholarship. These positions are posted on the Troy University Jobs website. According to Richards, students are allowed to work for a maximum of 15 hours per pay week, and the wage for all positions is the state minimum of $7.25. “My workship as an English language tutor allows me to make use of my skills to help students while making decent money to cover my expenses,” said Aniket Maharjan, a junior nursing major from Kathmandu, Nepal. Maharjan works as an English tutor in the writing center. “Having a workship on campus cuts the amount of time I would spend traveling back and forth between my work and class,” he said. “Due to the flexibility of my hours I get to work between classes and labs, which really saves my time.” International students studying in the United States are not eligible for FAFSA, due to federal regulations which disqualify them from applying for work-study positions. However, all students can apply for the various workship positions on campus. Upon visiting the Troy University Jobs website, students can find all sorts of positions that have various skill set requirements. Positions like that of a tutor require that students complete specific types of classes with a set grade. However, other positions like that of an assistant in any department are less demanding on course requirement or GPA. Troy students can find the workship posting at www.troyuniversityjobs.com. For work-study related questions, they can contact Shawn Jones, the assistant director of financial aid at Troy University.
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