Work-study is a common form of income for many students. There are a variety of jobs available to students on this campus, some more glamorous than others.

Ever wonder who makes the copies of final exams or those wonderful syllabi handed out in class? Many times, it is student workers. We toil for hours in a dark room with a copier to help professors get those fun handouts to students.

Students participating in work-study frequently hold positions in an office. These jobs usually include photocopying, running errands, filing and other office-type work. It seems as if there is no such thing as an odd job.

Their on-campus locations are convenient to fill those three-hour gaps between classes. Instead of waiting aimlessly in front of a classroom or trying to kill time at Davies, student workers have the opportunity to make some money. While the job has several perks, like any job, there are a few downsides.

Being uncomfortable in a job is never fun. It is safe to say that most people want to feel respected and appreciated. After talking to some students and from personal experience, this does not always happen.

Working with professors and those who work in the various academic offices on campus can be a negative experience. I feel all too many times that student workers are seen as children and are not respected. In a way, this is age discrimination and what I like to call a caste system.

There are those professors who do not even acknowledge a student worker’s existence when passing him or her in the hall. This is a terrible feeling. No one wants to be ignored or receive the cold shoulder. A simple nod, smile or uttering of the word “hi” is common courtesy. I would think that a fellow colleague never would be ignored, so why should a student worker be any different?

There are even those offices in which program assistants and other personnel are not very friendly unless a student worker is carrying a manila inter-office envelope. I find that if I ask a question, sometimes I get snapped back at. However, when I mention I am from such and such an office, I then get the answers or forms I need.

When time gets crunched, I know some projects and jobs come at the last minute. Student workers should not be held accountable for the mistakes of others. Students are not the only ones who procrastinate – professors do too.

If a task is done wrong or a piece of office equipment is broken, some automatically assume that it must be the fault of a student worker. I was once accused of breaking the copy machine. Imagine me in camouflage secretly cracking into the machine to sabotage it so I could not make copies 10 minutes before they were needed. Come on.

I think many times students are expected to be the catch all of everything. I realize I am an office peon, but there are some jobs that are just demeaning, and a few students and I have shared our stories. Tasks include asking a student worker to do something so simple as looking up a number and calling that number while that person watches. It’s almost demeaning.

I do understand that my duty and that of my peers is to do odd jobs around the office; however, there are some tasks where I feel it is more work to come and physically tell me what needs to be done and then watch me do it.

I think a lot of times we are viewed as unimportant. We are talked down to, ignored and, many times, treated like children. At times I do realize they are in a rush and might not even realize they are doing it, but those who make a habit of it should consider being a little nicer. Being busy is no reason to be rude.

My first duty is school. Like so many other students, going to school and having a job is my life. I am not some young punk looking for the easy way out. While I do not have a doctorate, or any other fancy degree for that matter, I feel my peers and I deserve some respect. I just do not understand why a caste system needs to exist at a university.

Let’s not forget about those friendly professors and other employees who treat student workers like their peers. They know who they are. I really enjoy chatting and learning new things from them. These are the people who do not think of this campus in terms of a caste system. Student workers are seen as people. They realize that no matter what a person’s role is on campus, everyone is working toward something. That is really the biggest similarity among us all. We all have something in common.

It seems silly to me that in a place dominated by students, there has to be such a wall between some faculty/professors/workers and students. There would be no education without professors. Jobs would not exist without students who attend here. Most professors have more formal education than students. To me, that is just a small difference. Everyone deserves respect, no matter what job he or she holds.