Since the opening of the UTSA Main Campus in 1969, the community around UTSA has grown into a bustling economic center. A variety of businesses already call the area home, with many new developments being planned for the coming years.
These businesses benefit from their proximity to UTSA. They have access to a large population of young professionals looking for valuable work experience regardless of their industry or major. A variety of businesses, while marketing their employment to all prospective workers, employ primarily college students.
Students employed by public and private universities make up a large portion of the student worker population as well. Students can also be employed in “work-study” positions, which are jobs offered to undergraduate or graduate students that allow them to earn income to offset the cost of tuition.
With the increasing number of full-time students entering the workforce, calls for the protection of these workers’ rights are ramping up as well. Universities across the nation have seen a large number of faculty, department staffers and librarians attempt to unionize — spurred in large part by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The past three years have also seen undergraduate students attempt to unionize as well, with the number of recognized undergraduate student unions jumping from just one, to over a dozen according to Inside Higher Ed.
Being a student worker also provides access to a large array of resources that help with mobility in the workforce. It is important to not only know your rights as a worker, but also to be aware of the available resources to help you succeed. Companies that take advantage of their proximity to college campuses need to take student workers’ wellbeing into consideration, and be cognizant of their work load inside and outside the workplace. Student workers do not deserve to be exploited for their commitment to furthering their education.
You can read more about your rights as a worker in Texas at https://www.twc.texas.gov/services/employment-law.
You can read more about the resources available through the UTSA University Career Center at https://careercenter.utsa.edu/.
