Student workers important part of ITS family

Information Technology Services is employing a number of student workers in various areas again this semester.

Utilizing student employees has been something ITS has been doing for years – and it’s a relationship that has benefited both the department and students.

“They’re awesome. Absolutely awesome,” said Cay Kolling, who supervises student workers in User Services’ Campus Technology Support area.

There, this semester’s student crew consists of Cambreona Hendricks, Deborah Wilson-Wiley, Uriah Smith, Karinna Wesley, Lamar Brown (in his fifth year working at ITS), Jasmine Smith and LaJenna Bievenue.

“They are all people with outgoing personalities who are not afraid to talk to people on the phone,” said Kolling. “This is the second year for all but two of them, so they kind of know the ropes. They meet the challenges placed in front of them.”

Students bring skills to the job that even permanent full-time employees can’t, she said.

“They know how other student use the various systems, applications from the students’ viewpoint and issues from a student perspective whether on or off campus,” she said. “We get it through the student lens rather than the faculty-staff lens.”

And working in ITS helps students, too – and not just in terms of a paycheck.

“I hope it makes them better students because it teaches them responsibility,” Kolling said. “Yet they know that being a student is their No. 1 priority versus being an employee.”

In Information Systems, student employees also make important contributions.

“We like to use student workers because we want them to see what it’s like to work in a development environment,” said Associate Director of Information Systems Frank Kingery.

Student workers there this semester are Connor Moore and graduate assistant Mounicadevi Veerlapati.

“We like to give students an opportunity to see what it’s like to work for a company (rather than what they experience in a computer science class), what the expectations will be, how complex, and to give them a great learning environment to help them grow as a developer,” Kingery said.

In the Campus Card office, student employees have a wide range of responsibilities as well as play a vital role in serving patrons.

“The help make all the Panther Cards, do filing, shredding, make sure supplies are all stocked, answer phones and wait on customers,” said staff clerk Susan Woodyard.

Student workers there are Lacy Clifton, Austin Schaefer, Katelyn Fawns and Kaitlin Trone.

“I love them,” Woodyard said. “If we didn’t have them on transfer days, we would just go crazy. We can have 100 to 200 students a day. If there were just two of us working, we might have 20 in the office at one time. They make things flow so much more easily.”

---