Bleak job outlook for college seniors

By Chris Almeida
College students in the class of 2009 may not be graduating onto bigger and better things.

Since the stock market plummet in mid-October that marked the worst week in the history of the market, many companies have decreased the number of college students they plan to hire out of the class of 2009.

Employers now say they will hire 1.6 percent less people than they had previously projected in August, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

“I’m really nervous I won’t find a job because the economy is so tough and a lot of people I know are losing their jobs,” Mike Sullivan, a student at Bridgewater State College, said.

The decrease in jobs for recent graduates will be felt across all fields, the NACE survey indicated. Only the government as a sector plans on increasing the amount of students hired by a large percentage- 19.8 percent.

“In August, approximately one-third of employers said they were going to trim their college hiring; in our current poll, however, 52 percent said they were going to adjust their college hiring downward,” said Marilyn Mackes, executive director of NACE.

Based on the dire state of the economy, it would seem logical to predict that the financial fields would have the worst cutbacks. However, according the NACE survey, the construction industry will actually be the hardest hit.

Those college graduates who do get jobs may have to take lesser quality jobs than those before them.

“There will probably not be significant salary reductions for college grads. The bigger problem is a lack of positions to be filled which would indirectly force graduates to accept lower paying jobs than they might be offered in a normal economy,” said Robert Rosenthal, chairperson of the economics department at Stonehill College.

A common strategy for some seniors is to postpone going to work by either going to graduate school or by doing a year of service, which is essentially taking a year off to do volunteer work. In exchange, the student’s loans from college are often forgiven.

“The downturn in the economy was a definite, though minor, factor in my contemplating potentially going to India for a year of service,” said Bill King, a senior economics major at Stonehill College.

Tess Collins, an English teacher from Boston who has worked throughout Spain, did just that.

“I decided to volunteer to teach overseas because I love children and I love Europe. But it didn’t hurt that the program I am with is helping me with my student loans,” Collins said.

According to College on Credit by Sandy Baum and Marie O’Malley, 20-30 percent of college students have debts so large they find the debts difficult to manage after they graduate.

Career Services at Stonehill has been urging students since the beginning of senior year to start networking with people they know in anticipation of a less-friendly job market.

“In this economy you’ve got to get out there now,” Christina Burney, associate director of Career Services at Stonehill, told the senior class through email.

Many Stonehill accounting and finance majors already have jobs lined up after graduation.

“I am so excited that I got a job at Wolf and Company, a Boston public accounting firm, and don’t have to worry about it all year long,” said Lauren Pietrasik, a Stonehill senior from Abington, Mass.

Other students, such as those majoring in education, generally have to wait until after graduation to begin lining up a job.

“It’s scary because mid-way through next semester a lot of seniors are going to get jobs but we have to wait until mid-June to hear about jobs because school budgets need to be approved for the up-coming school year,” said Lindsay Henry, of Marshfield, and an education major at Stonehill College.

This is not a tough job market for only recent graduates. According to the Department of Labor, the number of unemployed people in the United States has gone up by 2.2 million people.

“The economic meltdown has trickled down to every level of the economy. Financial institutions, corporations seeking credit, small businesses and individuals, it is far-reaching and wide-ranging,” said Doug Catalano, COO of Integra Technology Corporation, a consulting firm located in Waltham.

College students struggle to find ways to buy books cheaply as the prices continue to rise

By Neal O’Doherty

EASTON —Tuition costs are no longer the only economical strain on college students these days. Textbook prices are soaring higher than ever.
No matter where you go to school, or how much the tuition at that school is, the cost of your books — depending on your major — can be $1,000 or more.
“I stopped buying textbooks after my sophomore year. They were just getting to expensive and a lot of times, teachers don’t even use them. Textbooks are just a way for professors to make money. I have had teachers who write the textbook, make you buy it for $300, and then never open the book once,” Greg Sanzari, senior at Stonehill College in Easton said.
Some students don’t have that option.
Bridgewater State College senior Erica Snyder spends about $500 to $700 a semester, and does not see an end in sight.
“Because I am in the process of becoming an athletic trainer, I need every book that I have for all of my classes. The worst part about it is that I can’t sell them back at the end of the semester. These are all books that I am going to want to add to my professional library once I get out of school,” Snyder said.
Snyder isn't the only one struggling to pay for books.
According to the Government Accountability Office, textbook prices have been rising at double the rate of inflation in the past 20 years.
To beat the costs, many students have come up with their own unique ways of getting books.
“My sister graduated from Stonehill last year, and I am a senior at Stonehill this year. Both of us are communications majors, so in order to save money on books, the two of us purchased all the books that my sister needed together, she would use them, and then give them to me once she was done with them. The only time this hasn’t worked out was when the teachers changed the books. Then we shared the price of the new textbook,” Becca Honohan, senior at Stonehill College, said.
Some students find it is easier to buy their books on line.
“During my sophomore year of college, my friend told me that I could buy my books on line, so I figured I would give it a shot. That was the best idea I ever had. Not including shipping and handling, I was able to walk away spending under $100 for an entire semester. Some of my books cost under a dollar,” Allison Foley, graduate student at Bridgewater State College, said.
Others say that find ways to sell their books on their own, rather than selling them back to the bookstore.
“Most schools have a way that you can e-mail the entire student body. I always manage to sell my books on there. Most students are willing to give you more money than the college bookstore would, and they will save money on the price the bookstore would charge them. Everybody wins,” Greg Borsari, senior at Bridgewater State College, said.

Tom McKenney: Beating the Battle with Obesity

By Michael Farwell

“I used to ride on the bus in the morning and the kids would tell the bus driver to stop at Dunkin Donuts so I could get several thousand munchkins.”
Ten year old Tom McKenney was not your average fourth grader. Standing at 4 feet 10 inches tall while weighing in at a whopping 145 pounds, McKenney was often referred to as the human bowling ball.
“I was in the fourth grade at the elementary school in Canton, Mass when I started to put the weight on. I blame myself, you have free will. I also blame the daily mayo sandwiches, chips, ice cream, and my television; I spent hours watching the Magic School bus.”
McKenney was a perfect example of a common issue today in America; Childhood Obesity. According to The U.S. Childhood Disease Control Center 17 percent of America’s youth, ages 6 to 11 were considered obese. The obesity in ages from 12 to 17 also grew up to 17.6 percent. McKenney decided to not be a part of that percentage and decided to change.
“I looked like a young John Candy and used to eat those little cream shots you put in your coffee, it was disgusting.”
It was when McKenney returned to baseball, realizing that he didn’t want to be fat anymore. “I started daily exercises on this absurd machine in my basement that my Dad used to use. The machine was strange but it worked, I ended up losing 45 pounds in six months.”
He noticed more changes, lost weight and gained confidence. Today in the United States childhood obesity is a growing problem. With obesity come medical issues and many complications that can put a damper on the lives of the over-weight. Today the National Association of Children’s Hospitals said that “16 percent of children (over 9 million) 6-19 years old are overweight or obese -- a number that has tripled since 1980.” With obesity come other medical issues such as, Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, High Blood Pressure, Liver Disease, and other unfortunate medical complications.
“There is a way out. I know that all of these studies have come out saying that obesity is genetic and for some people they cannot control it. Maybe that is the case for a few individuals but the majorities are overweight because of their habits. It is one thing to be out of shape; however, it is another to be overweight.”
"First of all, don’t quit Little League, stay active, play sports or do something. Do not sit around and be lazy, in the long run it isn’t worth it. I suffered countless hours of teasing due to my excessive weight. It is much easier to stay in shape and avoid the unwanted pounds, plus it is healthier for you.”
McKenney, now a Stonehill College sophomore plays intramural sports and heads to the gym at least four times a week. He eats healthy and continues to live a healthy lifestyle keeping off the weight that once plagued him.