Colm Craig
Equinox Staff
A full- or part-time job is a necessity for some Keene State College students, but it is becoming a need that is harder to fulfill in these difficult economic times.
In the past couple of years, there have been a number of businesses closings in Keene that make the job market even more daunting for students seeking to provide funds for their education, or just make a little spending money.
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This past October, the 99 Restaurant made the decision to forgo the renewal of its lease for the upcoming years, according to its Facebook page, and closed its doors for the last time, leaving many students, and Keene residents, looking for work.
Keene State College senior and education major, Michelle Divine, was employed by the 99 at the time of its closing and said, “From my understanding, they had to close because the overhead costs were too much for the small amount of money that was coming in.”
She went on to explain that the building had been in poor repair and the decision was made not to renew the lease and put more money into the building.
According to Devine, the 99 employed about five students who are now out of work. Devine also said, “I remember that it was a lot of middle-aged people who had families to support that worked there. Those are the people that I truly felt bad for.”
The 99, however, is just one of many businesses that have closed recently, including The Winning Combination Deli, Armadillo’s, Uno’s Chicago Grill, Fashion Bug, Borders, Circuit City and Friendly’s.
The Sears in Keene has also announced that it will be closing after a month-long liquidation that will be ending sometime towards the end of March.
Sears is closing its Keene branch as just one store in a larger company- wide rash of closings that includes over 79 stores but could eventually end up being closer to 120, according to ABC news. The Keene branch is the workplace of several Keene State College students who, like those of the 99, will be forced to look for jobs elsewhere or make other arrangements after the store’s final closing.
Also like the 99, Sears’ decision to close was likely related to the high cost of the lease and noticeable repairs needed to be made to the roof, evidenced by the missing ceiling tiles from water damage.
With so many businesses closing, students will likely be dipping further into their savings to accommodate the burden of paying for school, housing, and spending money.
Devine, who used her job at the 99 to gain some extra spending money, has decided to focus her time on her student teaching, which she says takes up almost all of her time anyway.
“I will have to start looking for a job in education in the very near future though,” Devine said. Students may also be forced to apply for additional financial aid to pay for college, if they are able, which will put them further into debt than they would otherwise be.
Working a job however does have some drawbacks. “It was very difficult to attend class and work at the same time. I remember begging my boss to schedule me with less hours because I didn’t have enough time to study for my upcoming exams,” Devine said.
Losing her job at the 99 allowed her to focus more of her time on school, and her student teaching and a little free time as well. “I truly admire the students who can work 20 hours a week and pass all their classes at the same time. It’s not easy!” Devine said.
Colm Craig can be contacted at ccraig1@ksc.mailcruiser.com.