08/26/2007

Students feel the pinch

Though some have never known anything else

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS

mdrahos@record-eagle.com

Among the hardest hit by high gas prices are teens and students, who often work for minimum wage or slightly more.

In a spring survey of credit students conducted by Northwestern Michigan College's Office of Institutional Research, 78 percent were working while attending college — 32 percent full-time, said Kari Kahler, director of career and employment services at the college,

"What we're seeing now is that they're putting together two and three jobs,” she said. "It used to be students could work 10 to 15 hours a week for spending money and now they're saying that's not going to cut it.”

While the price of gas alone is not driving their habits, it's one important factor, she said. And although many students still are willing to work for low wages, "I think what we're finding is that they're being more selective about where they work. Yes, we have minimum wage,” she added, "but they're looking for a little more.”

Chasten Grezman plans to keep his job at Cherry Republic in downtown Traverse City after he starts school at NMC in the fall. To help cut down on gas costs, he'll park near work and ride his bike to campus.

Grezman, 18, spent the last school year as an exchange student in Germany and said he was surprised when he returned home in May to find that gas prices had reached an all-time high.

"I was actually quite shocked,” he said. "In Germany I was totally reliant on public transportation, where I could pay $20 a month and ride buses, subways and trains everywhere.”

Now the nursing student works about 30 hours a week and estimates that nearly 14 percent of his paycheck goes just to get to work and back from his home near Chum's Corner. Instead of feeding the meter or dishing out money for the parking deck, he parks for free in a nearby neighborhood and walks the rest of the way in.

"It's frustrating, because when you figure you're going to have to pay for lunch and do things with your friends on nights and weekends, your check mostly pays for gas and entertainment,” he said. "And probably only a little over half goes to tuition.”

To compensate, he looks for ways to save money, like carpooling with friends.

"Everyone pitches in a couple dollars but it beats taking 10 cars to the movie theater,” he said.

Jenn Goodrich drives from the family cottage on Kalkaska's Perch Lake to her job at Pirate's Cove Adventure Park, about 30-45 minutes away. The 17-year-old Traverse City Central senior manages the 50-mile round trip with help from her co-workers.

"I split the price with my brothers, who work here, too,” she said.

Goodrich said the three siblings contribute $10 each toward a tank of gas, with their mom, Lisa, also pitching in. Thanks to good mileage from their Ford Contour — a Christmas gift from their parents — that can sometimes last two weeks, she added.

Besides working four or five days a week, Goodrich baby-sits on the side to make ends meet. She said she uses that money to pay for gas and banks her paycheck for college or her own car.

Unlike longtime drivers, who remember when gas was under $3, she's never known anything else.

"I'm kind of used to it, so it's kind of sad,” she said.