Across Eureka College, there exist student workers who fill a variety of roles that help the campus operate. Some jobs are visible and obvious to other students, while others involve work that happens mostly behind the scenes.
Charles Wyzukovicz, a business major and goalkeeper for the men’s soccer team, has held two campus jobs: washing the team’s uniforms after games and working at the Reagan Center. After soccer games, Wyzukovicz comes in to wash the team’s uniforms and hang them up. At the Reagan Center, his responsibilities include keeping the building clean and presentable, and helping people who use the facility and setting up the gym for competitions.
Working behind the scenes has changed some of the ways Wyzukovicz looks at campus athletics.
“When you go to the games first off, you’re like, ‘Oh, why is that there?’” Wyzukovicz said. “And then when you’re actually doing the job itself, it makes more sense.”
Other student workers contribute to campus in less visible ways. Solomon Muliira, a computer science major and baseball player, works in the Advancement Office, where Muliira helps with donor communications and digital projects. One project involves creating personalized flyers that connect donors with the scholarship recipients they support. Muliira has also helped revamp the webpage for the Ronald W. Reagan Society.
The work can extend beyond the office. For events such as Homecoming, the Reagan Dinner and the Berlin Wall Bowl, Muliira assists with preparation and setup before helping with day-of logistics. A University of Georgia article about student workers at campus events offers another example of the behind-the-scenes work that helps events run.
“Every shift brings something new,” Muliira wrote, adding that the variety keeps the position engaging and helps build professional skills.
Student employees can also ease the workload for campus staff. Wyzukovicz said that without student workers, some responsibilities might be neglected or shifted to other employees.
“If there’s not someone there doing it, it means that it’s either getting neglected or shoving more responsibilities on someone else,” Wyzukovicz said.
A feature in The Southern News about campus workers also describes student employees’ contributions and the flexibility campus jobs can offer.
In the Advancement Office, student workers take on time-consuming tasks such as data entry, developing materials and updating webpages. The students committing themselves to this work gives full-time staff more time to build relationships with donors and alumni and work toward broader departmental goals. Student employees can also bring a student perspective to communications and help the office find ways to engage students.
Both students described campus jobs as a way to develop skills they can use after college. Wyzukovicz pointed to communication, which at the Reagan Center can mean checking with supervisors about what needs to be done or helping people who use the facility.
Muliira wrote the job has strengthened professional communication, attention to detail, project management and writing for specific audiences. Working with staff has also helped Muliira learn to ask thoughtful questions and respond to feedback.
Campus employment can offer practical benefits, too. Wyzukovicz said the flexibility helps him work around changes to his soccer schedule. If he cannot make a shift, he said, another student can generally take it.
For Muliira, the position’s flexible hours fit around classes and baseball. Working on campus also means there is no commute, and the experience can translate into résumé-ready work, such as building a webpage for a real institution. The job has also helped Muliira form relationships with staff members who may serve as mentors or professional references.
Muliira recommends campus employment to students looking to earn money while gaining professional experience. Before starting, Muliira suggests being upfront about schedule constraints, asking questions about expectations and taking the work seriously from the beginning.
“Staff would rather you check than guess,” Muliira wrote.
Muliira expressed gratitude to the staff members who trust students with meaningful responsibilities, calling campus jobs “one of the most underrated parts of the college experience at a small school like Eureka.”
