Sometimes University students need a way to add to the change in their pockets. The solution: Get a job.
University students who want both to get away from the University fishbowl and make money sometimes choose to work off Grounds and immerse themselves in areas of Charlottesville beyond the University.
Dean of Students Penny Rue said she likes students to work on Grounds because "it allows them to make a deeper connection with the University community," but added that she realizes off-Grounds job opportunities tend to offer higher pay or experience more applicable to life after graduation.
Second-year College student Joe Geraghty chose to work at the Gap in Fashion Square mall to earn some extra money.
"I needed the money, which was what made me decide to get a job in the first place," Geraghty said. "You get more money off Grounds than on Grounds."
He said he previously refereed for University intramural sports, noting that while the pay was "good," he was not able to work many hours.
Third-year College student Turner Hay, who works at Panera Bread in the Barracks Road shopping center, said the best part of his job is earning money that he can spend on social activities.
"I can't afford to go to bars and do fun stuff with just the money my parents give me, so to have any kind of social life I need a little extra cash," he said.
Hay said working at Panera is not an inconvenience because it is "really close to where I live, so it made sense to work there."
Hay added that working at an off-Grounds job during the school year did not interfere with his studies or social life.
"It is possible to work short shifts, so I'd be out of there by 10 and it doesn't go late into night, so when you're finished working, you still have time to go out or study," Hay said.
He added that he enjoyed the break from being around University students.
Second-year College student Jered Decker agreed that holding an off-Grounds job did not constrain his academic schedule.
"It keeps your schedule a lot tighter because you have to learn how to budget your time," Decker said.
Rue said that statistics show that if students are working more than 15 hours a week, it starts to infringe on their academic success. Otherwise, Rue said she respects a student's choice to have outside-school employment.
Decker worked at Arch's frozen yogurt on the Corner last year and currently works at the Gap in Fashion Square mall.
"It's good to have the money even though you end up saving half the money and spending the other half," he said.
He added that each of his jobs has offered perks.
"It's nice, like at Arch's you get free yogurt, and at the Gap you get a pretty sweet discount," Decker said.
He said he definitely prefers retail work to working in food services.
"Working at Arch's, I was working later shifts," Decker said. "That was food service [whereas] Gap is retail so usually you are working harder at Arch's."
He said working at Arch's was a little less stressful because it is locally owned, not a corporate environment like the Gap, but added that "you don't have to deal with gooey brownie at the Gap."
Hay said working at Panera also offers benefits, including a 66 percent discount on meals and free leftover goods at the end of the day.
Decker said he also likes the fact that an off-Grounds job allows him to focus on a non-academic task.
"It's also nice because it puts your mind on something else besides school when everything at the University revolves around school and grades," Decker said. "You can go to work and kind of forget about what is stressing you out, and focus on what you're doing, doing your job and seeing faces you don't see at school."
Third-year College student Lily Robertson, who works on the Downtown Mall at restaurant and bar Escafe, said she thoroughly enjoys the off-Grounds restaurant atmosphere.
"I am very fond of the Downtown Mall because it has a different crowd and a different atmosphere," she said. "The people I work with are different. I love that they are not affiliated with U.Va, they don't really stress about what is happening at U.Va. It is nice."
Geraghty said he has also had an opportunity to meet a new group of people while working in Fashion Square.
"It's been nice meeting people who aren't just University students," Geraghty said.
Robertson said working at Escafe is a nice break from school.
She said she likes working because while at work, "you're doing something active but it's not a paper, the library, or studying."
Robertson added that your mind keeps going but it is focusing on a completely different thing.
Hay also agreed that working off-Grounds has allowed him to engage in a refreshing atmosphere.
Geraghty, Hay, Decker and Robertson all said working off-Grounds is like a productive vacation from the ins and outs of University life.
"The only disadvantage is that you can't do your schoolwork while you're working," Robertson said. "But for your mental health, it is great because it would drive me insane if I didn't get away from the University."
Jeremy Weatherholtz, manager of Ruby Tuesday's at Barracks Road, said about half of his employees are University students. He added, though, that the employment process is impartial.
"We don't gravitate toward or away from University students," Weatherholtz said. "We just take qualified applicants, and a lot of those happen to be U.Va students."
Whether it is employment on the Corner, on the Downtown Mall, Barracks Road or at the Fashion Square mall, students with these jobs enjoy the various benefits they provide.
"It's great, it's taking a break from school, taking a mental break," Decker said. "You can take a mental vacation at work even if it is not a physical trip"
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