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Stories In Focus

Work Study Jobs on Campus

Students have the opportunity to serve the community, develop work experience, and earn money through various work study jobs offered.

Whether it is cleaning up the bathrooms in Shenawana, working at the welcome desk, or being a teaching assistant (TA), there are a lot of student work study jobs available on campus. Some jobs are more popular than others, but given the vast variety of jobs available on campus, you never really know what kind of work you’re going to be doing.

Work Study Chad CMYKThere are a variety of reasons students choose to get a job on campus. Some get jobs because it gives them something to do, while others feel a greater need to serve the college community. However, most students get work study jobs for one simple reason. Money. While for most students the money is the main selling point of a job, there are many other rewards and benefits to work study jobs.

Having a work study job does provide students with a small income, but also provides work experience and helps develop transferable work skills for students’ future careers. Senior, Chad Muise, works at the welcome desk in the campus center. His job entails a lot of direct communication with a variety of people including students, faculty, and community members. Muise said that working at the welcome desk may not help him directly in his career path, but he has learned a few valuable skills in his time at the welcome desk. He said, “Communication and organizational skills are always an asset to build on, and working at the welcome desk has definitely helped me improve those skills.”

A lot of work study jobs provide students with an enjoyable overall work experience. Junior, Chase Rangel, does the statistics book at volleyball games and he enjoys this work study job. Rangel said, “I like watching sports and it’s a front row seat to all the home games. Plus it’s easy work for the amount of hours you get.” Junior, Brett Rapan, has three jobs on campus. “I like the proctor job the most because I get to sit down and do my homework while I’m at work,” said Rapan, the true definition of “work study.”

Not only do work study jobs offer money and an enjoyable experience, they can also offer a sense of leadership and an opportunity to help fellow students. Senior, Kyle Flemington, is a TA in the physics department. He grades homework sets for two classes, General Physics One and Mechanics One. He too, admits that the income is nice, but the job does have other benefits. Flemington said, “This job is a good experience because it is considered a leadership role in the physics department. You get to help other students with their homework and help them better understand the concepts.”

While work study jobs may not be physically demanding labor, students do struggle to find a balance between their personal life and work. Muise said, “The hardest part of the job is working around my personal schedule. I have taken on a lot of different tasks this year in the classroom and on campus in the form of jobs and clubs, so my schedule does not always match up with the available shifts.”

Not all work studies are as enjoyable for students. Rapan also cleans the bathrooms and showers in Shenawana, a job that he described as “dirty and gross.” He dislikes this job because it takes an hour out of his day five days a week. He recounted a particularly gross day on the job in which “someone left a giant hairball in one of the stalls. It was the grossest thing I’ve ever seen.”

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Stories In Focus

Nathan Hatch, Student Turned Security Guard

It was only last spring that Nathan Hatch walked across the stage at graduation.  For most students, this walk symbolized the end of their personal journey at Houghton College, but for Hatch, this walk was the beginning of a new chapter for him at Houghton.

Although Hatch is not a student at Houghton anymore, he is still part of the community. He can still be found on campus, the only difference is the change in uniform. He used to be found dressed up as a Scotsman leading the soccer teams out onto the field while waving a giant Houghton Highlanders flag. Now he can be found making his rounds around campus in his security uniform, trying to keep the campus safe and enjoyable for all.

NathanHatch

Hatch is still a relatively well known figure around campus. After graduating last year, he decided to stay on campus to help further serve the Houghton community.  Many students on campus know Hatch personally, which according to Hatch provides both advantages and disadvantages in his job.  Hatch said, “It’s an advantage because my job revolves around being around students. Because I know a lot of people it just makes my job easier.” Hatch added, “This is a disadvantage because, sometimes the students that know me think they can get away with certain things just because they know me.”  Although Hatch is a friendly and approachable type of person, he takes his job very seriously.
Many students often portray campus security as mean people that don’t do a whole lot, except for hand out parking tickets. Being on the other side of things, Hatch has gained a new perspective of his new job. According to Hatch there are a lot of things that students don’t see.  Hatch said, “We are often seen as burdens, when in reality a lot of the things that we do for the students go unnoticed.” Whether it be an issue of campus security, or something small like making sure classroom doors are unlocked for the students and faculty, Hatch and the rest of the security staff are the exact opposite of a burden to the school.
Although Hatch thoroughly enjoys his job, he never foresaw himself working as a security officer, although he did joke about it occasionally while he was a student.  Having graduated last May with a degree in Outdoor Recreation, and a minor in Business and Environmental Stewardship, Hatch wanted to and is still striving to get into the outdoor industry. He one day hopes to be either a hunting or a fishing guide after his time at Houghton, but he doesn’t know how long that will be. Hatch doesn’t view this job as “transitional,” as in, this job isn’t going to help him gain experience in his desired field of work. However, he sees this job as, “A good job to transition out of college into the workforce.”