Jessica Gad traded her sorority letters and pearls for a waitress apron and a bow-tie last week. Her free time transformed into a time card and she took on a title her dad lost in January-employee.

“Both my parents were really secure in their jobs,” the freshman from Hendersonville, Tenn., said. “At least, we thought they were.”

After 20 years of working for Keystone Automotive, Gad’s father found himself unemployed, leaving Gad’s return to Western after winter break uncertain, she said.

The struggles of students such as Gad to fund their education in the face of economic recession could impact enrollment in positive or negative ways, Assistant Economics Professor Alexander Lebedinsky said.

Gad’s parents warned her that she might have to attend a community college for a few years while her family recovered, she said. But after finding scholarships, quitting her sorority and vowing to make her education worth every cent, she returned to Western.

“My parents told me they can’t afford for me to slack,” Gad said.

She said the members of Kappa Delta still call her “sister” and her new Steak ‘n Shake uniform suits her just fine.

Other students might not make it through their financial woes as well as Gad.

Western’s enrollment declined for six consecutive years during the American economic recession in the early 1980s, according to registrar records. Enrollment dropped by more than 2,000 students from fall of 1979 to fall of 1985.

But President Gary Ransdell said he doesn’t expect a similar enrollment decrease this time around.

He said officials are working to continually increase Western’s enrollment by creating new degree programs relevant to today’s society and job market.

Officials are also developing and marketing more online programs and making physical campus improvements to attract students, he said.

Western’s enrollment has increased for the past 12 years, and Ransdell expects that trend persist, he said.

“I think we will continue to be a destination point for a growing applicant pool,” he said.

More student loans are available to that applicant pool now than during the 1980s recession, and this may lessen the effects of the current economic downturn, Associate Economics Professor Brian Strow said.

Banks are raising interest rates and approving fewer loan candidates, he said. But more federal student loans with reasonable interest rates and borrower requirements exist.

Federal financial aid increased in the late 1980s, coinciding with enrollment increases at Western, Stow said.

“I’m saying that’s not an accident,” he said.

But students relying on private loans may feel the effects of tighter lending practices, Lebedinsky said.

“If you simply cannot afford to borrow money at a reasonable rate then you can’t afford to go to college,” he said.

When Bardstown sophomore Lindsey Filiatreau’s mother lost her job last month, she learned she would have to rely entirely on student loans to pay for medical school, she said.

“It’s scary because, while I’ve always planned to pay for med school, It’s always been nice to know my family could support me if need be,” she said.

Filiatreau began using her peer tutoring and baby-sitting money to cover expenses such as car insurance, which her parents previously paid, she said.

Some students, like Filiatreau, may have to get jobs to support themselves despite rising unemployment rates.

The unemployment rate in Bowling Green was 10.3 percent in February, 1.4 percent higher than the national average of 8.9 percent, according to a report from Kentucky’s Office of Employment and Training.

Kentucky’s unemployment rate is above the national average as well at 10.2 percent, according to the report.

Rising unemployment rates could decrease enrollment because fewer students can pay tuition, Lebedinsky said. But the rates could raise enrollment as well.

People may choose to postpone college in good economic times because well-paying jobs are available, he said. Few such jobs exist now.

“The opportunity cost of going to college is low in terms of the jobs you are giving up because there are no jobs,” Lebedinsky said.

This may explain why enrollment is up from last year, Ransdell said.

The need for financial support increased along with enrollment, said Cindy Burnette, director of student financial assistance.

Financially struggling students should first fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine how much need-based funding they can receive, she said.

Many students may have to follow Gad’s lead and start working, she said.

Burnette recommended on-campus jobs listed on the financial aid Web site.

Burnette encourages students to check the list regularly because campus jobs are as rare as jobs in the rest of the nation, she said.

“We have more students looking for jobs than jobs available, so it helps to be aggressive,” she said.