E-mail
Print
Working and going to school without the stress
How a student can do both successfully in the same environment
By Michelle Sauer
The stress of finding a job while maintaining a solid grade point average can be overwhelming and exhausting. University Housing operations are here to alleviate that stress. “I can’t say enough about my student employees,” Varebrook says. “They are terrific and without them, I’d be lost.” Two of his student employees include student supervisors Sara Koenig and Jessica Czarnecki. These two ladies are within the custodial staff of the residence halls and had plenty of things to say.
“The custodial staff is a great place to work, especially if you live in the dorms and need a flexible schedule,” Koenig states.
Czarnecki agrees. “It’s never boring, and the best part is the philosophy of Mike [Varebrook] ‘we are students first and employees second,’” she chimes in.
They went on to talk about the amount of flexibility they mentioned. Students can work anywhere from eight to twenty hours a week, seven days a week, and anywhere between 7:30 a.m. and midnight. A person can pick their work schedule to fit their daily schedule.
Beyond the custodial staff are a variety of other operations. Rose Wasielewski, the staffing and training Graduate Assistant for University Housing, included a detailed list of options.
“University Housing has clerical type positions in our Business and Contracts office and at our Service Desks, safety and criminal justice type positions with our Security jobs, hands-on maintenance skill jobs with our student Maintenance staff and Custodial Support Staff, event planning and administering with our Program Services Center, and Resident/Community Assistant positions which combine role modeling, confronting policies, programming and educating students about the world around them all into one University Housing position,” lists Wasielewski.
Benefits of the job depend on if you live in the residence halls or not. For residing students, getting to work is very easy. A student saves commuting time by living where they work.
“Even if you work and live in RiverView or Kenilworth, getting to campus is simple - our University Housing Shuttle runs 24 hours a day,” Wasielewski states.
Even for students who are not residents, work schedules can be made around class schedules so one can work while they are on campus for school. Wasielewski reiterated Varebrook’s statement that academics are number one priority.
Other benefits include access to Housing facilities such as the Green Room fitness center, Flicks movie theater and large-scale programs.
Opportunities for advancement exist not only in wages, but in position as well. Student supervisors are a “vital asset,” as Varebrook states, “for running and operating all that goes on at the four locations of University Housing.
Networking is available and encouraged for students to become acquainted with each other, and those they are serving on a daily basis to create a friendly and unique atmosphere that develops a cohesive environment.
The custodial staff is the first to say that no job is unappealing.
“As grotesque as custodial work is made out to be, it is one of the best jobs I have ever had and is by no means unsatisfying,” Koenig says.
From benefits to flexibility, networking and mobility, University Housing employment is an option students should consider when looking for a reliable and manageable workload that will not add to the stress of school.
> Comments