Santa Barbara is an expensive town with a high cost of living that everyone is familiar with. So for those us who support ourselves, it requires a lot of work to stay afloat. Luckily, we have the tourist industry and the well off who keep our economy rolling and allow most of us to make great wages working in either retail or the restaurant business. But as times get tougher and as the tourist industry and the rich become stingier it is getting harder and harder to make a decent enough wage to survive in Santa Barbara. I used to bitch about working too much, but now there isn’t enough work to bitch about.

After reading about how UCSB is starting to cut student jobs a realization hit me: my safety net is gone. UCSB used to be the safety net I knew I could go to if times got tough. But times are tough and without UCSB, what will happen to us students if times get even tougher?

Lately I lie in bed, staring at the clock at all hours of the night trying to figure out what I am going to do. Bills are mounting up and my savings are getting low. I already work two jobs. What else can I do? Take out another loan? Start living off my credit card and really screw myself in the long run? Prostitute myself? Just kidding, but really I don’t know what to do.

All I can do is plea to UCSB to not forget why it exists and to help us students when we need it. I’m not looking for a handout, just a decent job that pays the bills.