Butler Blue IV poses for a photo with a student employee. Photo by Lauren Gdowski.
GIANNA CASSIN | STAFF REPORTER | gcassin@butler.edu
Being a full-time college student and having a part-time job can take a lot of work. Sometimes, student workers may not give themselves enough credit or appreciation. In order to counter this, all Butler student employees were sent an email inviting them to an appreciation event featuring the beloved mascot Butler Blue IV. The email thanked student workers for the work they put in.
In the Johnson Room in Robertson Hall, student workers enjoyed snacks and snapping pictures with the adored live mascot. Students were also able to enter a raffle for a chance to win a Butler Bookstore gift card. The event was meant to be very informal and present a way to give back to student workers.
There are a variety of on-campus employers that students can work for. Whether someone brews coffee at Starbucks, works the front desk at the HRC or sells items at the Butler Bookstore, each student employee is a vital part of Butler’s operations. Handshake is a useful tool for students seeking employment that does not require transportation.
Zoe Franz, a junior marketing major and commuter, chose to come to this event as a way to stay on campus longer and hang out with Blue. Franz works at the herbarium on campus, collecting plant specimens from all over the world.
“I didn’t realize I was gonna get a sunglasses picture with Blue,” Franz said. “Clearly, that was the highlight of my day. I was sitting there eating my cookie waiting for Blue to come. I’m a commuter that transferred this year as a junior, so this is just a nice way to stay on campus for a little bit longer.”
Lily Wann, a senior psychology-criminology major, also decided to stop by to take a photo with Blue. Wann has worked for the Butler Arts and Events Center for three years. She acknowledged the importance of taking time to appreciate the work she does.
“As a student worker, you get wrapped up with schoolwork and schedules,” Wann said. “It’s easy to not appreciate the work you’ve done and how much you give back to the school. I feel like stuff like this is really cool, because everyone who does work for the school comes and you get to see everyone. It’s a good reminder of all the work you do.”
In order to make this event happen, Lorraine Vavul, who works in human resources for on-campus employment, established a student worker appreciation committee. Justin Bauerle, an information system’s analyst for the Information Technology department, joined the team to give back to student workers since he used to manage student workers at Butler. Bauerle acknowledges the huge impact that student workers have on campus.
“For instance, we have students that work in IT,” Bauerle said. “If a professor has an issue in a classroom, they call us and our student workers go and fix it 95% of the time, but that’s just IT. There’s people in the library, there’s people at Clowes Hall, there’s people all over campus that are keeping the university going at all times of the day.”
There are many ways to get involved working on campus. Students who need help paying for their education can also apply for Federal Work Study. By completing the FAFSA, students can earn money by working a job that becomes part of their financial aid package. In some cases, student workers can request to have their paychecks directly put into their student account.
The student worker appreciation committee also planned an end-of-year student worker awards ceremony. This ceremony, being held on April 13, will honor all the work that student workers do.
