Working as a White Girl

                                                   
As a freshman I knew I would have to find a job as soon as I moved out and went to school because my mother is disabled and unable to help me financially. I was applying for jobs by the summer before I began at UC Merced, yet was not receiving any calls about any positions. Fortunately, my grandmother ran into a very important person in the facilities department at a dinner party she went to in our hometown, Mariposa. He ran the Transportation and Parking department, among other departments, and knew of a student position opening at TAPS (Transportation and Parking Services). Before I knew it, I had a number for the head of the department, whom I called, and was instructed to complete the application and interview process and to wait for a call from her assistant director for more information. After searching on my own for a few months, it was a big relief finding an in for work so easily. I had a double interview with a Latino guy, the assistant director interviewed us, he was white. The guy I was interviewing with knew everything about cars (this was a transportation job), and all I had to say about myself was that I knew how to clean houses and get on stage and act. I had no prior customer service or office experience (I was applying primarily for their office since that's what they needed at the time). Luckily, despite my nervousness of the other guy getting the job, we were both hired that day. Since being hired at TAPS (it’s been two years now), I’ve received three raises, a promotion to student lead, and have been the first student at UC Merced who has been cleared for cash handling at the TAPS office. While I do not want to discredit my hard work, because I did work hard, putting in more hours than all the students during breaks, offering to help in any situation, offering to stay late if necessary. Before taking this class, I would have said that’s the reason I have the position I do now. After taking this class, I understand that a lot of the promotions and raises I got had to do with white privilege.

In my office, the racial statistics of the full time staff are as followed: 63% white, 25% Latino, and 13% black. Our student worker’s racial statistics are quite different: 47% Latino, 18% black, 12 % white, 12% Middle Eastern, 12% Asian. While my office is small, and not a large enough sample size to determine any substantial observations, but it is interesting that those working inside are mostly white, while the majority of student workers (who work outside and get paid less) are mostly Latino and black. The student worker statistics could also simply reflect UC Merced’s student racial statics which are as follows: 45.6% Hispanic, 25% Asian, 14.1% white, 5.7 % black, and 4.4 % two or more races. So the pool of students that TAPS is able to choose from slightly reflects the actual racial groups employed as student workers at TAPS. Now, if we look at Merced as a city, the racial statistics are as followed: 49.6 % Latino, 30% white, 12.6% Asian, and 6.6% black. When compared to the racial statistics of the full time staff members at TAPS, it is clear there is under-representation of the city of Merced in UC Merced’s TAPS department. 

I am extremely grateful for my job, for my paycheck, for my hourly wage that is over $2 more than the minimum wage. I know that there are so many minority families who are working more than I work, who are making less money, yet need more money to support their families. It seems crazy to me that I, at 20 years old, can be in the position I am in, while other middle aged people raising children are unable to find high paying jobs due to racial discrimination. In 2013, only 12% of whites 16 years or older were underemployed, while 18% of Latinos were underemployed, and 23% of blacks were underemployed (almost double white’s percentage)(ch.9 pg.247*bookwebsitelink?*). Work places should represent the cities they are located, if half of Merced’s population is Latino, and half of UC Merced’s students are Latino, then UC Merced’s full time staff and faculty should more closely reflect those statistics.