Despite substantive research at the national level, local institutional information on students who work off campus while enrolled full time has been sparse. After considering the need for local studies examining the causes of term-time employment and employment's role in persistence, this research explores the appropriateness of using total student cohorts as opposed to sub-populations restricted to financial aid applicants. Distinguishing between residency groups is also considered. The analyses demonstrate that employment was locally substantial, persistence studies are best paired with total populations, and employment studies are best paired with populations restricted to students who have financial aid data on file. (Contains 3 tables, 5 figures and 17 footnotes.)