COLIN LIKAS | Editor in Chief
Select Butler University student employees and their employers filled the Schrott Center lobby yesterday for an award ceremony where one student win a statewide honor.
Senior Eric Sanders, Irwin Library music and fine arts technician, earned Butler’s Student Employee of the Year award.
Additionally, Sanders received Indiana’s Employee of the Year award, which is given to one student from the entirety of the state’s colleges and universities.
“It was a bit of a surprise,” he said. “It’s just a great honor, and I’m really happy and pleased with everything I’ve learned (as a student employee).”
Sheri Storms, Irwin Library performing and fine arts librarian, nominated Sanders after he simplified a music-sorting process. The old process took approximately seven hours to complete. Sanders’ revised version allowed this process to be completed in 45 minutes.
“When (Sanders) came up with the program, it was all his doing,” Storms said. “He said, ‘I think I could make this better. I think I could make this more efficient and save us some time.’
“I said, ‘You know, Eric, if you do that, I’m going to nominate you for Student Employee of the Year.’”
Courtney Rousseau, Butler Student Employment Coordinator, was the host of the event and announced Sanders as the statewide award’s recipient. She said it was hard to keep the honor a secret, adding she nearly jumped out of her chair when she was informed.
Sanders was one of more than 20 students nominated by an on-campus employer for one of Butler’s three student employee awards. In addition to the Student Employee of the Year honor, the New Student Employee of the Year and Student Employee Leadership awards were up for grabs.
Junior Molly Nebiolo, who works in Information Commons, took home the former award. Senior Katie Newberry earned the latter for her work in her on-campus job.
“I think (the award ceremony) is important because the college experience isn’t limited to just the classroom,” Rousseau said. “Everything they’re doing that is co-curricular is considered learning. Part of their student employment is that experience.”
Other nominees received certificates recognizing their work on campus.
Student employees and their supervisors each write a letter to an Internship and Career Services committee, which then looks at qualities like professionalism, leadership and dependability when making final decisions on award winners.
This year’s ceremony was Rousseau’s first as host. She said she would like to expand the event to all Butler student employees next school year.
“There are roughly 3,000 positions on campus. A lot of students have multiple positions, but I don’t want any students to feel left out,” she said. “I think it needs to be a much more collaborative experience.”