Managing the work of college is a stressful task; not only do teachers demand a certain quality of work and work ethic, but students are also free from the influence of their parents. For some, this level of independence is refreshing, but for others, it feels like they’re being squashed by the weight on their shoulders.
Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is far from cheap. According to the school’s website, the private school in Harrisonburg, Virginia, now costs $59,090 per year for students without aid and without indirect costs included. Many students grow worried about the amount of loans they have to extract, and many of those students are residents of Virginia. This plight of paying for college and juggling school is made harder when students come from out of state, as many out-of-state students do not receive Virginia Tuition Assistant Grants (VTAG), which is a grant that requires students to be a resident of Virginia for 12 months before enrollment.
It grows hard trying to manage school and work, but there is another amount of stress added when students are also involved in varsity athletics. Such is the life of Shaddai Bailey, a junior psychology major from North Carolina who is now working part-time on top of his track schedule and schooling. Since Bailey came from North Carolina to run track at EMU, he doesn’t receive much assistance from Virginia.
On Monday, Shaddai Bailey welcomed me into his on-campus apartment, where he positioned himself in front of a stove. His back was turned as he cooked his dinner for the rest of the week. Bailey worked on the pancakes on the stove while he placed turkey bacon inside the oven.
“It’s been good, a little struggle with work [and] life balance, but I am managing,” he said about his junior year thus far. Bailey ran down his weekly schedule, which typically included classes during the day with a hurdle practice sandwiched in at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Afterward, he is expected to go to an hour-long lift at 5:00 p.m.
Bailey said that junior year was different from his sophomore year at EMU because he “didn’t have a job [off campus] but a work-study job.” Students who work on campus struggle with the number of hours they’re allotted to work at their work-study. Depending on where the student works and how many other students are scheduled to work with them, they may not receive more than fifteen hours per week working at EMU for a minimum wage of $13.
Bailey explained not having to travel between school and work made things easier. He also noted how convenient it was to be able to work on campus as opposed to having a job that required him to commute to and fro; he said it was simpler because he could go straight from his work-study to change for his practice later in the day. When asked if this year had been more difficult, Bailey disclosed that balancing work, school, and practice had become tougher, though academically, things had improved. He emphasized the importance of knowing all three of his schedules beforehand.
Bailey said that a lot of preparation goes into his schedule, noting that it’s easier to make time for himself by “preparing days beforehand to do things.” Having to juggle athletics, academics, and working off campus for Bailey means that there is hardly time for procrastination.
“I have to do all my schoolwork before the weekend because that’s the time I work.” On weekends, Bailey works at a shoe store, which hardly leaves time for him to do his homework after working six-hour shifts. “If I can’t do all my homework, I have to save smaller assignments for the weekend; it makes it easier,” Bailey said. He went deeper, saying that, unlike his work study, he is expected to interact with the public outside of EMU’s campus. “Doing that on top of practicing beforehand leaves me tired when I finish my shifts.”
Bailey is usually always doing something, whether that be under the category of work, school, or athletics, and working all the time can be draining for anybody. So, where does Bailey find time to maintain the healthy relationships that he has cultivated during his time at EMU?
“I text my friends in the group chat,” he said. “Or I hop in a party on the game whenever I get time to myself.” Whenever Bailey isn’t jumping the next hurdle before him, he spends his time playing the game and eating with his friends whenever he gets the chance.
“It’s hard to find free time,” he said. “So whenever I do get some time to myself, it’s more important to me now.” When asked if he thought that working may affect his performance as an athlete, Bailey said, “It’s a possibility, but I don’t think it will.”
