This week I talked to Alaina Burghart (senior, Spanish and global studies) about working for the athletics department on campus and what that looks like on a daily basis. Although I'm not an athletic person at all, it was fun to learn about all of the different events that our university puts on for various sports! If, unlike me, you are athletically inclined or have a passion for running sports events, you might want to look into getting hired in this department.
Where do you work?
In the athletics department. We operate out of the Wellness Center and also Johnson Gym. We basically facilitate all of the athletic programs on campus, so things like helping the basketball teams and the soccer team. We run all the games—we just had intramurals and the Intercontinental Cup. We also run the open recreation days where people can use the gym for whatever they want.
So what do you do on a day to day basis?
So my job is a little bit different from everyone else's because I also do custodial work in the Wellness Center, so I also sweep the floors, vacuum the rugs, wash the windows, and do laundry for when the seasons are over. I would do the soccer laundry, the basketball laundry, I do the laundry for the jerseys for intramurals. Stuff like that is not super scheduled, I'll just go in and do what I need to do. But a lot of us have certain shifts. I work Sunday night and then Monday afternoons, and then Tuesday nights I do things called intramurals— the basketball intramurals— and then Wednesday night I work open rec for football. And then if there are other shifts that need picking up, I'll just text my boss for it.
What made you decide to start working here?
Freshman year I was on the basketball team, and when I came back for sophomore year, I decided that I didn't want to be a part of the basketball team anymore. I was looking for a job and I was familiar with the athletic staff, so I just asked if they needed a worker. I don't remember if I asked or if they asked me. But someone asked, and I got a job. So far this is my second year working there.
Do you like working at the athletics department?
I do, yeah. Honestly, I think it's one of the best gigs on campus. The people you work with are pretty chill and the hours are really flexible. You just show up for what hours you have available and the shifts aren’t bad. If there's not a lot of people who come to open rec then you just get to do homework. So it's a great job, honestly.
What are some challenges with your job?
Well, I got hit in the face with a soccer ball once. I guess at the height of basketball season, sometimes it's kind of hard to keep up with everything, like cleaning during all the shifts after each game and everything. But I'd rather have too much work than not enough work. And even if you're gonna miss a shift, you can just text your boss or you text one of your co-workers and be like, “Hey, can you cover the shift?” and usually somebody can do it. I don't think there are a lot of challenges in this job.
Would you recommend this job to other people?
Absolutely I would. They actually need workers for next year, because a lot of us are graduating. There are a lot of PT students working, so they will have literally no time next year. So if you want to work there, talk to Kevin Wooldridge or Jamie Stacy.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.