Newswire photo courtesy of Alex Budzynski | First-year Lizzy Rehkamp is a student employee at the Gallagher Welcome Desk. The position is not open for applications at this time.
You walk through the double glass doors of Gallagher Student Center (GSC) and into a bustling world of students quietly studying, hurrying to meetings and enjoying a good time with friends.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee floods your senses, and gentle background music billows throughout the building. It can be easy to miss those hard at work directly to the left at the welcome desk.
Working at the GSC Welcome Desk is an opportunity for a part time, on-campus job for students. Employees answer questions about campus for visitors and check out games and laptops to students.
They also fix printers, manage the lost and found, choose music to play over the speakers, man the phone and, of course, greet all those walking into the student center.
Lizzy Rehkamp, a first-year nursing major, has come to enjoy her job at GSC throughout the past few months. She got the job at a campus job fair on the first day of classes this semester, following an on-the-spot interview.
This position helps students build relationships on campus and strengthen people skills.
“Working at Gallagher can open up my horizon, and I can meet new people and be connected to the students,” Rehkamp said. “Answering the phone and giving directions has definitely helped my communication skills.”
Rehkamp said that the job is not time consuming, and employees are allowed to do their homework as long as it does not interfere with their work. First-year social work major Makayla Meadows agreed with her co-worker that the job is easy-going, and she appreciates the social aspect that accompanies the work.
“I enjoy being able to interact with people that come through the doors while also being able to complete my school work,” Meadows said.
Meadows enjoys the atmosphere of Gallagher: “It is like the living room of campus. You see everyone coming in and out…it is a homey place, and I like being a part of it.”
Working at GSC is not always easy, especially late at night. The student center is open 24 hours, and an employee is always required to be at the desk.
“I work a lot of 2 (a.m.) – 6 a.m. shifts and when that 4 a.m. mark hits, you are ready to go to bed,” Rehkamp said. “It helps that every hour you have to get up and walk around the building to do a check.” Grabbing a snack from the vending machines is another strategy to push through late night shifts.
Both employees recommend the position to students who have knowledge about campus and good communication skills or anyone who has respectable music taste. The job is currently not open to applications, but keep an open eye for the opportunity to be a part of the heart of campus by working at GSC.
By: Alex Budzynski | Guest Writer