Hi Dominic,
We here at UCCS have made a few student position modifications over the past year to help optimize staff scheduling, equitable disbursement of hours, improving ownership and visibility of our student union Building Managers, and increased leadership opportunities for student employees.
Our current structure features typical operational areas: Information Desk, Building Managers, Event Production, and Event Scheduling. Within each of these areas is a Student Lead, who is responsible for oversight of their areas. While we don't use the term "Student Supervisor", our Building Managers are designated as the staff supervisor during non-business hours and on weekends (while the Full-Time Staff are out of the office).
Our Production Team was restructured over last summer. Formerly, we had a separate Setup Crew who was responsible for large event setups in our Ballroom, Events Center, and outdoor venues when a lot of event furniture was used. We also had our Event Assistants, which were responsible for small room setups across the entire campus, including the University Center (our student union) and basic AV setups. To provide staff with continual development/advancement opportunities, we decided to create a structure where students could apply/interview for upgraded roles. As you'll see below, this 'stacking' of positions also allows us to back-fill any of the lower positions with ease when staffing dynamics change (i.e. summer, breaks, busy times, etc.).
**Now, we have a combined entry-level crew titled, Production Assistants, who are responsible for event setups across the entire campus, large and small, indoor and outdoor. They also setup basic AV. A promotional opportunity from there is our Production Specialist. These students can perform PA duties AND they lead large event setups, drive our box truck, and mentor/coach/train new PAs. From there, students can apply to be Production Technicians. These student can perform duties as a PA and PS and also act as dedicated AV technicians for events requiring audio mixing, livestreaming, etc. Lastly, students can then apply to become one of two leadership roles:
1. Production Technician Lead, which can perform any of the positions mentioned before and is responsible for AV inventory, staffing events needing Production Technicians, and advanced AV training -OR-
2. Production Operations Lead, who can perform any of the positions listed before and is responsible for PA and PS daily staff scheduling, coordinating large event setup logistics, and event furniture inventory. See the image below for an illustration of our Production Staff structure:
Our
Building Managers used to support events in various buildings in AND outside of our University Center, however our goal was to keep them INSIDE the union and become ambassadors of community building and campus information as they walk around the building. Now, they are responsible for meeting room setups and basic AV setup/troubleshooting for events
inside the University Center. Any event support OUTSIDE of the UC is taken on by Production staff. If a Building Manager needs assistance (laptop just won't connect to a display, audio routing is incorrect, etc.) they simply radio a Production Assistant on shift for help.
If Information Desk staff need support, the Building Manager is available to assist. If our Event Scheduling student staff require support, we typically have a full-time Event Coordinator available to assist.
Phew! There's a lot here to digest. Hope this gives you a better idea as to how we are setup! So far, the restructuring is going really well!
I have attached a few job description examples for you as well. Feel free to reach out if you have further questions. :)
Bradley
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Bradley Plesz
Program Manager for Event Production, University Center and Event Services
University of Colorado–Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs CO
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-23-2021 15:32
From: Dominic Hannon
Subject: Student Staff Structure
Hello!
We are currently in the process of exploring/revamping our student employment structure for our Student Union - in the past, we have had multiple positions responsible for specific capacities (Information Desk staffing, event setups/breakdowns, A/V work).
We are exploring the possibility of creating Student Supervisor positions above our Building Managers, as well as cross-training our building staff to understand/have the ability to troubleshoot low-level AV problems. We're looking to see examples of how your institution:
- Currently Structures their Student Staff
- Is/Isn't Using Student Supervisors
- Divvies various duties amongst different positions within your Student Union.
Any and all job descriptions that you feel to share are also greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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Dominic Hannon
Campbell Student Union Operations Manager
Buffalo State College
Buffalo NY
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