ACUI Open Forum

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  • 1.  Student Staff Structure

    Posted 06-23-2021 15:50
    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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  • 2.  RE: Student Staff Structure

    Posted 06-24-2021 13:55
    Hey Dominic, 

    I work at Clemson University in Campus Reservations and Events. We currently have our areas divided into Reservations, Event Services, and Operations and Business with each area having it's own professional structure with an Associate Director and 1 to 2 Assistant Directors. We absolutely do depend on student staff and student supervisors to do serve campus and our clients. 

    In Reservations they have a student reservations staff and student reservation managers that lead that area. The Event Services crew has 4 Student Event Coordinators and a Student Assistant. I can't speak too much to how they operate fully since those aren't my areas. 

    In the Operations world we have 3 tiers with a production opportunity. 
    • We have our Operations Staff that manages all of our setups and making sure buildings/spaces are unlocked and operating. They complete shift rounds and make sure our spaces are in great condition. They are responsible for some minor AV troubleshooting in our spaces. 
    • Production Assistants - not really a different staff but an additional opportunity that staff can be trained for to manage our more technical events that might require a soundboard or lighting. We don't require everyone to get trained on this but it's an opportunity to work events and get a bit higher pay when you do. 
    • Shift Managers - these are the student leaders that are responsible for what's happening during a shift. They are required to be Production Assistant trained. They are housed out of our Hendrix Student Center (main space on campus) but are expected to check on all spaces and staff that we manage during a shift (Bracket Hall after hours, Barnes Activity Center, Memorial Auditorium, Outdoor Spaces, Caden Chapel, and Hendrix Student Center). They are suppose to check in with any staff working in those areas to make sure everything is going well. They also are trained to handle more complex AV troubleshooting and have assigned areas to do every other week checks and tidying up. 
    • Student Lead Managers - We have two lead managers (Lead Manager and Lead Production Manager). Our Lead Manager is involved with more of our HR and Training and coordinating setup schedules, staffing schedules, and managing Hendrix and the Chapel. Our Production Manager is more involved with our manager training, production training, Memorial Auditorium, Barnes Activity Center, and mobile events. These two positions work more with leading the team and driving policy while serving as a back-up for the staff. 

    I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. 

    Best,

    ------------------------------
    Shane Farmer (He/Him/His)
    Associate Director of Operations
    Clemson University
    Clemson SC
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  • 3.  RE: Student Staff Structure

    Posted 06-25-2021 14:31
    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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