UNC Wilmington’s Federal Work-Study programs will be affected by the budget cuts resulting from the sequester order signed by President Obama on March 1. However, it will not be as much as other universities in the UNC system. 

Many students rely on the FWS, a federally supported program. It provides job funding for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need. UNCW receives limited FWS funding and a large amount of students who may qualify for FWS may not receive it with budget cuts. 

The $85 million dollars in automatic cuts is daunting, but Ixchel M. Baker-Tate, director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, gives worried work-study students a reason to relax. 

 “I believe that in comparison to all of the schools, that UNC Wilmington reduction rates will be smaller,” Baker-Tate said.

Current work-study students are relieved to know cuts won’t impact the program too severely.

“College is really expensive. It’s easier to have my own job and money,” said Tyler Gordon, a freshman at UNCW.  “It helps me conserve money because I only get paid once a month, so it teaches you how to live pay check to pay check.”

Gordon has a work-study job as a receptionist to help pay for school. 

Gordon appreciates the importance her work-study job places on her education, making sure to keep her focused on her classes.

“I get to come in whenever I don’t have class so I am still able to focus on school and I’m even able to study during my downtime,” Gordon said. 

The sequester budget cuts will impact FWS programs in North Carolina but the severity will vary across the UNC system.

The sequestration has sparked a great deal of panic in a lot of Americans. Work-study jobs will take an overall hit, but luckily UNCW will see a reduction in less than 10 percent of the current FWS work force. Current work-study students and future ones can rest easy knowing the program has been left relatively untouched.