Students, college dealing with recession’s impact

Face it. You've felt it, too— that subtle tug in the pocket, announcing the absence of nickels and dimes. The recent economic recession is on your mind.

If you are one of the Augustana College students who traded in the super-sized Starbucks for a home-brewed coffee this morning, you are not alone. Empty pockets are calling for a mental adjustment: think before you spend.

"It's different than my freshman year, for groceries and things," sophomore Maren Engel said. "I have to be really careful what I spend my money on, things I need, things I want."

In light of the past two years of economic recession, Augustana students and staff are making a concentrated effort to plan before they pay.

"Whenever we buy materials, we are in the mindset of deal buying," said Connor Lamberson, a senior and co-governor of the UBG event committee. "And we carry that over here [in UBG], trying to be smart with what we have, instead of being wasteful."

Fortunately for Augustana College, a money-conservative mentality appears to be the greatest impact upon daily campus life.

 "To be honest, I really haven't noticed anything change here," said senior Kayla Rockwell, spring chapel president. "No big increase or decrease. Offering on Sunday is mostly students who do not have that much money anyways."

Adult leadership staff responded similarly.

Limited budget for departments and programs such as the Mikkelsen Library, food services and Augustana art department did not alter services in major ways.

When asked if opportunities for his ceramics students had been impacted by the recession, professor Gerry Punt said he did not notice any change.

 "In terms of what we can make available with what we have libraries are very capable of knowing ‘what can we do,'" Director of the Mikkelsen Library, Ronelle Thompson, said. "We are doing okay."

While Punt and Thompson believe their departments are functioning normally, Augustana food services General Manager Craig Pearson has seen signs of improvement for both students and staff. Pearson said that the positives of the recession include the ability of his department to raise the standards of both workers and food quality, as well as increase the number of student jobs.

It appears that while the growth in opportunities at Augustana food services may be an exception, students appear to be living a typical college lifestyle. The tough economic times impact Augustana in a more mental than physical way: a bit of hesitance about spending, and an attentiveness to the empty pocket.

But that seems to be the normal college mindset, after all.