On-campus jobs at the University of North Carolina at Asheville offer students more than just an opportunity to earn extra cash. Through roles in athletics production, housing and residence life, campus recreation, and more, students learn skills that will last far beyond graduation.
Lisa Mann, the director of the Career Center at UNCA, said having students in on-campus positions offers insight into student perspectives and enriches the Career Center’s community.
“It’s so much better to have students in on-campus positions. Part of what helps us as a student-facing office is hiring students to give us a student perspective on the things we choose to do and offer as a career center,” Mann said. “We all choose to work on a college campus, and we want to have students around, so having student employees is very fulfilling.”
Student employment offers a high-impact practice that prepares students for success beyond graduation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 39.6% of full-time college students were employed in 2023. On-campus employment is a resource that many college students turn to for employment opportunities and to pay for college, especially if offered federal financial aid through the Federal Work-Study program.
According to the UNCA Career Center, student employment is intended to be both educationally and financially beneficial while providing valuable work experience. This combination of financial support and career preparation allows students to develop skills that make them more competitive in the workforce and in academic life.
“When you work an on-campus position, you learn how to work with a full-time professional staff, you learn how to represent an organization, and you may learn some very specific skills,” Mann said.
On-campus positions propose one main benefit: learning skills that may prepare students for later academic plans and career paths. Logan Wiggenhorn, director of live athletics productions at UNCA, leads the ESPN broadcast team. Wiggenhorn said he hires students to help with the behind-the-scenes work that brings live sports events to life.
“Being able to teach students what my passion is and try to help give them life lessons is really important,” Wiggenhorn said. “It’s so, so important to get that experience in an environment where mistakes happen and learning how to deal with mistakes, how to deal with successes, can happen.”
Wiggenhorn said he sees benefits for himself from working with students. Like the feedback element that Mann said she receives and utilizes for the Career Center, Wiggenhorn said he learns from students and their creative ideas when working on a broadcast.
“Something I love to do is teach students what I know and learn from students what they know and couple that together,” Wiggenhorn said.
Diversity and inclusion are major factors in on-campus employment. According to the American Council on Education, diversity in on-campus students and employees enriches the educational experience, promotes personal growth, and strengthens communities and the workplace.
“I want to give anybody and everybody an opportunity to work in the production,” Wiggenhorn said. “In a field that is predominantly a male field, I’m happy to say that our ESPN team is majority female. I think it’s really cool to be able to teach everybody.”
The skills students learn in on-campus employment positions extend beyond technical knowledge. Theo Dusenbury, a student employee with Campus Recreation, is using his job to build connections with other people.
“I thought it would be a good way to meet people on campus,” Dusenbury said. “I have met a lot of people, like my coworkers and other people on campus.”
Dusenbury, a biology major at UNCA, said he also appreciates the flexibility of his work environment.
“Usually I have time, depending on how slow it is, to do school work while at my job, which is very nice,” Dusenbury said. “I also have a schedule and regularly check on my deadlines.”
While the job offers some flexibility, Dusenbury said there are challenges, especially when dealing with difficult situations. Still, these challenges allow him to learn additional customer service skills and professional boundaries.
“There are crazy people. For whatever reason, people who don’t want to wear shoes or clothes in the gym,” Dusenbury said. “I have learned to be more assertive and how to say ‘no.'”
Dusenbury also says there are some financial challenges to being an on-campus student employee.
“I am not paid enough,” Dusenbury said. “Once I buy a small amount of groceries, pay for my medication, and fill up on gas, I’m close to broke while working 10-20 hours a week.”
Despite the challenges and drawbacks, Dusenbury said he thinks on-campus employment is worth it simply for the connections he’s had the opportunity to build, the convenience in location, the flexibility to balance his student life, and the skills he’s learning.
“If you can deal with the shitty pay, there are a lot of benefits,” Dusenbury said. “You have to decide if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks and for me they do.”
