It’s 6:28 on the Thursday night before the freshman are supposed to move back on campus. I’m hot, hungry and exhausted, and am sitting in the Reef listening to Scott Hendershot- (Housing Assignments and Operations Coordinator) talk about assignments for assisting with the mess known as move-in.
There are about 50 of us in the room, and the one thing that we all have in common is having a job on campus. Whether it’s the students that work in the Campus Recreation department, or the Peer Coaches that work under Compass, we are all employed by the USFSP system, meaning that we represent our school.
When asked to name a positive and a negative about working on campus, junior, Savanna Carnell said, “One good thing about working on campus is that the departments are aware that most of their employees are students who attend school here, and they are willing to work around class schedule and academics -especially around finals week- but a downside is that there are not many hours [as a peer coach] that I get to work per week.”
Being a peer coach as well, I can also vouch that we only get 10 hours a week that can be put on our time sheets (turned in every other week), which allows for flexibility in our schedule. Even though I went into the job knowing peer coaching would take up more hours a week than we are paid for, I like having to space and time for my other (off-campus) job as well.
Another student describes her experience as “Working on campus is like having a family; I live on campus, so being able to go to the office whenever possible and just being with coworkers feels like I’m getting together with my family for dinner or just to relax. It’s stressful at times, but having all of [my] peers surrounding and supporting me makes this job that much more doable,” says Ashleigh Gilray (Peer Coach), a sophomore.
Many students also have multiple jobs on campus, such as junior, Anthony Greggo. Anthony works as a Peer Coach (Compass), Orientation Leader, HAB (Harborside Activities Board) Special Events Coordinator, and Sting Ray Mentor. “Working on campus has not only allowed me to allowed me to develop my skills as a leader, but has directly correlated with better grades during the academic year. On-campus jobs allows [students] to grow as both individuals and as a collective group as we strive for a something bigger than ourselves,” says Anthony.
Across the board, most students that work on campus have the same overall feeling about their positions on campus, and Hannah Royer, a junior working in Campus Recreation is no different. “The people at the gym are really nice,” says Hannah. “It is great to be a part of an organization that is focused on fitness and health. I just started out, so I have yet to have a bad experience, and I hope that I never do.”
On-campus jobs are an asset to students, and have more positives than negatives to them; they hold titles that can be used to strengthen resumes, build bonds between students on campus, and they also provide a little cash to pocket next to the experience that they provide. So if you’re considering getting a job on-campus this year, don’t hold back and go for it, because they provide unique experiences that you won’t see anywhere else!
photo courtesy of Compass Facebook page
HCXOXO,
Hayley Garron