Some students and parents have faced economic woes for this upcoming school year due to the fluttering economy.

According to Carl Campbell, associate professor of economics, many students were affected by the high unemployment rates in Illinois.

Campbell said less students were able to find summer jobs, the increasing price of gasoline and rising tuition rates have all contributed to less income for students.

“Some of them will have less income to work with than a year ago,” Campbell said.

Campbell remains optimistic for the state of the economy and offered some advice for students.

“I think a lot of this will be better in a year or so,” Campbell said. “Try to put aside some money every week in case of an emergency, and be careful spending, don’t overspend.”

Katrina Thacker, a senior elementary education major, said for her, finding a job this summer was difficult, but managed to find one. She has not noticed a significant change in the economy but has noticed a decrease in disposable income.

“I am not very knowledgeable on the economy right now, but I know I’m broke,” Thacker said.
Melissa Mossman, a senior psychology major, agrees the economy has had an affect on her spending as well, and money should be managed effectively.

“I can’t afford to buy too much, but I can pay my bills,” Mossman said. “I don’t buy anything fun, it all goes to bills, sometimes my parents help.”

Students are not the only ones affected by the economic state.

Michael and Sherry Johnson are parents of a first year engineering student. Sherry said the economy affects us all.

“It makes things a little tighter for everyone,” Sherry said.

She said when sending her son to school she was expecting tuition to continue to go up.

“It’s kind of scary, you go into it expecting it to go up, but you are not sure how much,” she said.
Michael also added that the stock market has significantly affected his retirement fund.

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