Butler’s Health and Recreation Complex provides on-campus jobs for students. Photo by Hannah Barone.

GWEN PAVICH | STAFF REPORTER | gpavich@butler.edu 

With summer coming to a close and the new school year beginning, many students are curious about how they can earn money without leaving the comfort of their own college campus. 

Luckily, Butler offers a variety of on-campus jobs that are available to any student. There are opportunities to work for Butler Libraries, the Health and Recreation Complex (HRC), the Butler Arts and Events Center, Starbucks and so much more. 

However, for first-year or transfer students, it might be hard to decide what job they see as a good fit for them, or if getting an on campus job is really worth it. 

Eleanor Waiss, a junior mathematics and actuarial science double major, currently works two jobs at Butler. Waiss serves as an Information Commons associate with Butler Libraries as well as a tutor for the Department of Mathematical Sciences. 

“As an Information Commons associate, I oversee a team [comprising] of four or five different students,” Waiss said. “We primarily serve as the public-facing portion of the library services. We deal a lot with general circulation of materials. We [serve as] the front face for research questions [and] technology questions.” 

In Waiss’ other job, she also acts as a helpful resource for students who need extra assistance in their coursework. 

“As a tutor [in the mathematics department, I] primarily serve students who are currently taking math classes, specifically some lower level 100 [and] 200 [courses] as well as the mathematical analytical reasoning courses,” Waiss said. 

Waiss discovered this tutoring position through Handshake, a commonly used job-search website for Butler students. The website serves as a way for college students to discover jobs and internships on and off campus. However, Waiss ended up applying for a tutor position after first utilizing the tutoring lab and gaining more math experience. 

As stressful as having two jobs on campus might be for some students, Waiss enjoys working both of these positions. Waiss explained why she loves assisting students who struggle with their math courses in her tutoring position. 

“I get to work hands-on with a subject that I love, and I get to help people wrestle [with difficult math concepts],” Waiss said. “A lot of [students] come in with a vast variety of backgrounds, whether they took algebra in high school and now have to [retake it] in college, or [want] some additional help with a statistics course.” 

Much like her tutoring job, Waiss enjoys interacting with people who need help and support at Butler Libraries. Waiss also assists patrons of the library with her knowledge of technological resources provided in the facilities. 

“We get a lot of research [and technical] questions,” Waiss said. “[I am] the first interface that students have with the libraries. So, being able to direct [people] on LibGuide to find all the resources, [or saying to] look in this [certain] section of the library to find the specific resources you’re looking for [is what I do in my position].” 

Another popular work location for students here on campus is the Butler Arts and Events Center (BAEC). Junior arts administration major Ellie Fuerbringer has been involved with the BAEC for several years now. 

“I learned about working at the BAEC from my advisor, Brenda Johnston, during my interview for the arts administration program,” Fuerbringer said. “I work at the BAEC as event staff, student house manager, front desk, and I was an intern last semester.” 

Fuerbringer explained how she has had great experiences working her various roles at the BAEC. She discussed how these positions were a good balance of fun while also building skills for her future career.

“As event staff at BAEC, I work as a ticket taker or usher for the shows that come through [to perform at the] campus theaters,” Fuerbringer said. “When I work as a student house manager, it is similar to being event staff, but I have a little more responsibility [such as] making sure the theater is set for patrons. [When I was] an intern of the BAEC, I worked in events and programming and did a lot of scheduling and planning for the [upcoming] shows and events.” 

Of course, one of the most popular locations on campus hires Butler students as well. Bekah Kinworthy, a marketing and international business double major, has worked at the campus Starbucks for two and a half years. 

“I worked at a Starbucks in high school, and [when I first came to Butler] I went to Starbucks and I [thought I] should just apply there because I already know how to do the job,” Kinworthy said. “I’m a barista trainer, and we are in charge of training all the new hires.” 

Looking at various reviews on Indeed regarding what previous Starbucks employees thought of their job, many students may view Starbucks as a busy and stressful work environment. But, Kinworthy has had a positive experience working at Butler’s Starbucks location. 

“We get to interact with a lot of really cool people [because most] of the people that come to Starbucks are also students,” Kinworthy said. “You don’t have to deal with as many annoying customers, so it’s pretty nice compared to the other Starbucks [location] that I’ve worked at.” 

After hearing about several positive work experiences that students have, the question still remains: is getting an on campus job really worth it? 

Waiss explained why on campus jobs are beneficial to her. 

“I’m drawn towards on-campus jobs because of the easy commute,” Waiss said. “It takes me all of five minutes to walk to [my jobs] every day, which is really nice. [Also,] the fact that both of those jobs are really flexible with my schedule [means that] I can come and go [to] the library in between classes. Then with the math tutoring lab, a lot of my classes are around that [area] anyways.” 

Similarly, Fuerbringer finds that on-campus jobs work well with students’ busy school schedules. 

“In my experience, on-campus jobs are aware of the commitments and [limited] time that students have and are willing to work with you on that,” Fuerbringer said. “Also, if you live on campus, an on-campus job is super convenient.” 

The beginning of the school year is the perfect time for students to explore on-campus job opportunities and get themselves more involved on campus. To learn more about on-campus student employment and get access to new hire paperwork, visit the on-campus student employment page. 

Get to work, Bulldogs!