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Running student centers is nonstop adventure
The request, Mason said, is an example of the surprises that add fun and excitement to the job of running the centers. “Guess what! There is a national society for the preservation of albino squirrels,” Mason said. Besides overseeing student organizations, the job of running the Trabant University Center and the Perkins Student Center, both on the Newark campus, includes supervising student activities, student media, event services, academic events and conference meetings, Marilyn Prime, director of the centers, said. “There is a lot that you don’t see,” Prime said. “Many people will walk through Trabant and see the Food Court and say, ‘Food. That’s what is going on.’ But, there is a lot more going on. It could be anything, from a small students’ executive committee meeting to a major conference with 900 people.” Prime said one of the most fulfilling events at the centers is DelaWorld 101, a series of 20 daylong visits in the summer for incoming students and their parents.
“You see all these fresh faces and the anxiety within, and part of our job is to make them feel comfortable, to know that this is a friendly, exciting place, a place they can call home,” Prime said. The Perkins Student Center on Academy Street features a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities and services, including meetings, lectures, exhibitions and theatrical performances. The center is home to student-run media, including the student newspaper, The Review, and WVUD-FM radio, Gil Johnson, associate director for event services, said. “Students who are involved in the media are very motivated and they bring a lot to the building,” Chuck Tarver, assistant director of students centers, said. “Both organizations tend to operate on 24-hour schedules, and, in that sense, they do keep the building alive round the clock.” A popular destination for students, Perkins houses the Scrounge dining area and the main University Bookstore, as well as facilities that include a copy and fax center, meeting rooms, quiet study space and the offices of several student organizations involved in a range of activities, from community service to concerts, performances and backpacking, Johnson said. The Trabant University Center at Main Street and South College Avenue offers a diverse program of extracurricular activities including films, meetings, lectures, concerts and trips. Vita Nova, a restaurant operated by hotel, restaurant and institutional management students, is located on the second floor.
Some 170 student organizations and 34 sororities and fraternities are registered and supervised at the centers, which serve more than 15,000 students. Johnson oversees space and room assignments to avoid conflict or interference between activities or events, ranging from raffle ticket sales to live bands and VIP meetings. On a typical day, which includes troubleshooting and room set up, Johnson begins with a thorough inspection of the centers to make sure everything is in working order. “He goes through the buildings with a white glove to make sure that things are working and that all the events can run smoothly together,” Prime said. The large number of virtually nonstop activities keeps the centers’ 23 full-time staff, 30 student staff, two graduate assistants and four graduate interns busy throughout the school year, Johnson said.“It takes humor and the desire to make this a successful and energetic community,” Prime said. “We work with some wonderful, wonderful staff and students, and that’s what keeps one going after a long day. Through their participation, the students are learning. They are growing. They are developing. They can take something they’ve learned and apply it.” Berni Coslar, service representative for the centers, said there is no typical day working at the centers. On a busy day, Coslar handles nearly 100 phone calls and walk-in queries, ranging from parents seeking recommendations for activities for their children to student organizations’ financial concerns and general University information. “It’s almost like a Girl Friday: A little bit of personnel, a little bit of mothering, a little bit of secretary, a little bit of everything,” Coslar said. “It makes it interesting. I certainly enjoy my job. As with any job, there are frustrations and challenges, but I thoroughly enjoy it. Dealing with all the people and everything Š I love it!” Hand-in-hand with the fun and excitement in the centers comes unpredictable challenges and occasional complaints, Mason said. Mason has a “No Whining” sign on his desk on the second floor in the Trabant Center. Staff at the student centers deal with “every issue and agenda and stance that you can possibly imagine,” but each student and organization receives the same, fair treatment, Mason said.
“It’s not just entertaining in my office but it’s very exciting to work behind the scenes because it’s educational,” Mason said. “This office keeps you young. I’ve worked in activities for 15 years, and I don’t feel a day older than when I first started. “Even though I’m in a different generation, three decades apart from them, I can understand what goes on and what’s in and what’s not, even to know that ‘cool’ is no longer cool. It’s important to me because I go to student group meetings and there’s a different dialogue. It’s like learning a foreign language,” Mason said. The Albino Squirrel Preservation Society has not yet established a chapter at UD because the student applicant did not complete the process. (Of 56 applications, 30 new student organizations were registered during the past academic year.) Article by Martin Mbugua To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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