<yone on campus either has, had or knows someone with an on-campus job. Freshmen tend to work in the dining hall or Sayles, or, if they’re lucky in the Post Office or the arb. Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors can usually nab more sought-after jobs such as Academic Department Office Assistant, or one of the many peer leader positions.
However, there are a handful of students who managed to obtain more unique, specialty jobs.
Annie Flynn ’15 is lucky enough to spend some of her work hours in the Arb every week (her other job is in the Libe). She started as the Security Assistant her sophomore year when she heard about the opening through a friend of a friend.
As the student Arboretum Security Assistant she patrols the Arb during the hours the Arboretum Manager and Director are not in the office, usually after five on weekdays, and weekends. Her duties include keeping an eye out for off-leash dogs, people who are lost or have questions, people who are drinking, or things like fallen trees blocking paths.
Flynn says, “I love this job—the responsibilities I listed above definitely come up occasionally, but for the most part I have very pleasant interactions with really friendly Arb patrons, and it makes sure I get outside and utilize the Arb, which is a fantastic campus resource.” She plans to continue working both in the Arb and the Libe next year.
Kazia Mermel ’17 splits her time between a few jobs, including LDC dining assistant, and, more interestingly, Track and Field Coaches’ Assistant. Her connection to the job was simple, as a member of the Cross Country and Track Teams she heard from her coaches that they needed an assistant, and she applied for the job.
Her duties include a variety of odd jobs such as helping set up equipment, entering data from meets and workouts, organizing uniforms, and updating the record books.
Mermel’s favourite part of her job is updating the record books. She says, “it helps me be more familiar with my teammates’ personal records. During indoor track, this was especially exciting because the team broke a ridiculous number of records, and a lot of people made it onto the Top-Ten All-Time lists.”
Elena Ondich ’15 gets the inside scoop on the social life of President Poskanzer, such as his dinners for the Board of Trustees and Alumni. As the Student Manager of Nutting House, Ondich organizes student workers to staff Stevie P.’s various events. She and the other workers help prepare and serve food, and clean up the house afterwards.
Ondich is from Northfield and started helping out at events when her best friend from High School’s Mother, who bartends at Nuttinghouse events, asked if she was interested in working there.
Felicity Carroll ’16 is one of Ondich’s workers. When asked her official title she said, “Maybe Nuttinghouse Student Worker? Kitchen Staff? The living embodiment of Downton Abbey, complete with a black and white outfit and a servants’ door?”
Carroll loves her job in Nuttinghouse because she gets to assist in making delicious food, spend time with interesting, fun chefs and occasionally overheard exciting guest conversations.
She recalls “hearing several trustee conducting heated analyses of our society, and discussing the good times they had at Carleton 20 years ago—champagne?—and once I glanced at the name tag of a little old lady smiling on the sofa, and it became evident that I was in the presence of none other than Mrs. Hulings—that was unexpected.”