For some student workers on campus, a snow day can be beneficial to catch up on homework and relax, but it can also put a strain on their income within the coming weeks.

According to Andy Meeks, director of business operations and auxiliary services, while student workers in business operations may still be able to work on snow days, students working in other departments may not have that option.

“I can only speak for the students who work in and around our operations,” Meeks said. “So in business operations, if school is closed, student employees are not automatically not coming to work. There’s instances where they would be expected to unless it’s too dangerous for them to get out on the streets. But like the bookstore and stuff like that, that’s just closed.”

Katie Eckstein, a junior radiologic technology student, has worked in Steely library for three years and said last month’s week off of school due to snow will affect her financial stability over the coming weeks.

According to Eckstein, she was only able to work a total of 10 hours compared to her normal 25 hours a week at the library, which is the maximum amount of hours student workers are permitted to work.

“Its definitely going to be tough trying to make ends meet with all of the bills and stuff like that,” Eckstein said. “But, I will get through it.”

Mackenzie Scaringi, a freshman accounting major,  works at the Barnes and Noble bookstore on campus and has found herself in a similar financial situation as Eckstein.

“I just joined AOII, and so I have my dues to pay,” Scaringi said. “My parents aren’t helping me at all with that, so I’ve got to pay all of that by myself and that week off really did kind of hurt.”

With bills and dues to pay, both Scaringi and Eckstein have to figure out a way to compensate for the hours lost to the snow days.

According to Scaringi, her plan is to pick up hours in order to compensate for the week without pay.

“I’m going to try and pick up hours at the bookstore,” Scaringi said. “I work a lot of hours over spring break so that should help.”

But for Eckstein, it isn’t as easy to make up for the hours she lost.

“The week of work that we missed, we can’t make up the next week,” Eckstein said. “So we can’t make up those hours. I’ve never worked here when there’s been a whole week off because usually I can make up my hours because we only miss a couple days, if that.”

According to Eckstein, while she hasn’t seen the paycheck yet, she is still thinking about the effects it will have in the coming days.

“We haven’t gotten that paycheck yet because it’s delayed two weeks. So this next coming paycheck that we get, I will only get a week’s worth of money. So that’s going to really suck paying for bills and stuff because I have an apartment.”

With spring in sight, student workers’ incomes will become more consistent with the likelihood of a snow day dwindling. But for now, it is possible that many are in the same boat as Eckstein and Scaringi and are trying to make up for lost pay.