Not only does senior Jessica Michel work at the Fitness Center 12 hours a week, but she also works eight hours a week at a second part-time job with a government-funded organization called America Reads, tutoring middle schoolers. Both jobs add up to 20 hours of work per week, leaving her with only part of the weekend to concentrate on her homework and practically no time to volunteer.

“I can’t volunteer as much as I would like to, but still try at church on Sundays, helping out with the kids,” Michel said. “Finances are taking away my time to volunteer, having to pay for school.”

Like Michel, many students would like more time to volunteer and help the community. But with belts tightening in the recession, students increasingly have to choose work over volunteering. According to a survey conducted for the National Conference on Citizenship, volunteer and other civic work has decreased as the recession continues, a fact noted recently by the New York Times. The survey, which involved 3,889 Americans, reported that 72 percent of them had cut back on service to the community.

The findings show a correlation between the cut-back on volunteer work and the increase of unemployment. People have not completely stopped volunteering; they have just “cut back” on volunteering.

Two Talbot graduate students shared their experience about the economic decline, and how it has limited their time mostly to work and school.

Kristen Girard, a graduate student at Talbot school, works as a commuter life assistant 15 hours per week.

“I pretty much only do school and this job,” she said. “In fact, this is the first year I’ve had to work while I’ve been in school.”

Drew Sarchet, also a graduate student at Talbot, shared how excess working hours have limited his time for volunteer and community service work. Sarchet works three part-time jobs; his job at Maui Wowi, where he works 15-20 hours a week as a smoothie maker, and his tutoring job, where he clocks six hours a week, all consuming much of his time. He also works for a catering company occasionally on weekends.

“I do try to help whenever I have free time on Fridays,” he said.

Sarchet is now left with a few hours on Fridays to occasionally help out with Teen Challenge at Biola, where he reaches young lives by playing sports with neighborhood kids, trying to impact their lives through Jesus Christ.

Some students, like freshman Christine Choy, are able to serve and receive funds all in one swoop.

Choy, in order to maintain her Community Service Scholarship that helps toward her tuition expenses, is required to complete two hours of community service per week. She helps tennis coach, Dee Henry, with the Challenger Tennis program every Monday.

“Well, I’m volunteering, but basically I’m getting paid through the scholarship,” she said.

The scholarship provides her with $3,000 annually.

Some, however, like sophomore Daniel Hart, say they haven’t felt the effects of the recession personally when it comes to volunteering. Hart is involved in a skateboarding ministry at his church in Newport Beach. Hart and a group of friends go skating on the streets and perform with professional skate boarders. This attracts many people, with teenagers making up the majority of the spectators. Once they get the attention of people, they pray and preach on the streets, trying to gain more souls for the kingdom of God.

As for the rest of the students at Biola working long hours to make ends meet, volunteering in an invested and tangible way may not be possible at the moment.