------------------------------------------ people----------------------------------- Sophomore Clyde Kemp slides his ATM card into the student center ATM machine Jan. 22. College was a place where many students first learned to manage their money. (Photo by Russell Keck) 90 l/ people cash flow College was not only an educational institution, but also a place for students to learn to manage their money. This was the time when most students formed habits they would keep for the rest of their lives - habits of body, habits of mind and habits of pocket. Toward the end of the semester, one heard cries and shouts near the student center ATMs as students whose habits of pocket left their bank accounts empty. Junior Shelvy Arb€rry understood wha t it was like to be a college student. "Man, I have to save up just to bebroke," Arberry said. First thing's first: food. Like the fast-food chain Rally's slogan said, "Ya gotta eat." After alt there were necessities students could not live without, so they found ways to be creative. When sophomore Josefina Ayala found herself in a penny-pinching mode, she resorted to other ways to get food. "I eat in the cafeteria; 1have no other option," Ayala said. "But I have a job; when I get paid, I get some food." The cafeteria was a popular alternative to eating out or going to the student center, but for some people, that didn't cut it. Money was the object they needed to get the food they wanted. "Sometimes 1see people in the student center line paying for food, so roffer to buy it on my declining credit balance," Arberry said. "Then I just take the money from them in exchange. II Although eating was important, students often found themselves struggling to get to and fro. Since gas prices increased., it was expensive to get around even in Searcy. "I would go home to do my laundry or swipe some groceries from home, but it's to expensive to travel all the way home," sophomore Jill Hicks, of Roanoke, Texas, said. " It'sbetter to just run to Wal-Mart across town." When strapped for money, several students had to thinkof creative ways to entertain themselves. "I spent a lot of time roaming the isles of Hastings looking at magazines and posters," junior Hunter Wilson said. "I can look at all the magazines without having to buy them." "1 eat in the cafeteria; I have no other option. But I have a job; when I get paid, I get some food." - sophomore Josefina Ayala Most students have been in a financial frantic at least once during their college experience, but with the aid of Ramen noodles and money management tips, students usually saw green again.
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