By Bethani Bird, Contributing Writer
Daemen students looking for a job can apply for on-campus employment as a way to make some extra money and be a part of the Daemen community.
There are work-study jobs and non-work-study jobs available. Work-study jobs at Daemen are Federal Work Study (FWS) and Daemen Work Program (DWP).
FWS is a federally funded work program based on financial needs. Students are permitted 10 hours per week and are paid biweekly at New York State minimum wage.
Some jobs students with FWS can apply for are the Student Affairs office, the library, the mail room, the CHIP center, SMART Squad and the Lumsden Gymnasium reception desk.
FWS employees who are a part of the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) are limited to a maximum of four hours a week.
Student Affairs is one of the possible jobs for FWS students.
“I think that it got me into the Daemen community a lot more than I probably would have been if I wasn’t working at Student Affairs,” said Colin Hill, a third-year physical therapist major. “I feel like being so close to Nathan, the activities director, and hearing about what is going on around campus, hearing about housing, or hearing about what’s going on with any of the Deans and anything else. It allows me to be a bigger part of the Daemen community.”
Some of the tasks that Hill oversees are secretarial duties, which include answering the phone, running errands and completing assignments given by supervisors.
The library is another employment opportunity for FWS students. Peyton Johns, a third-year adolescent education major who works at the library, said it’s a great way to get to know people.
“You talk to people a lot and you give them advice, so it’s a good way to get to know people on campus because people are constantly coming in and out,” Johns said.
Johns mentioned a few tasks that library employees oversee: taking inventory, reshelving books, helping students and saving books for teachers.
Both Hill and Johns mentioned that there is flexible scheduling, reasonable employers and opportunities to connect with the Daemen community.
Students who are unsure if they are eligible for FWS can review the financial aid letter they received, or contact the financial aid office via email at finaid@daemen.edu or by calling them at 716-839-8254.
FWS jobs for the fall semester are posted in August and for the spring semester in late January. To find what FWS positions are available, go to MyDaemen and search for student employment.
Eligible students can apply for DWP, funded by Daemen, which is for students without FWS and is limited to 5.5 hours with biweekly pay at NYS minimum wage.
For more information about DWP jobs and eligibility, visit the MyDaemen website and search for student employment.
Non-work study jobs like dining services are available for students to apply for as well. Dining services include multiple job positions; students can work in the dish room, line service/kitchen, the Den, 78 West and catering.
Kai Powell, a third-year English major, who works for dining services described his duties as a dining employee.
“I do a little bit of everything,” said Powell. “I run the TGIF every Friday, so I’m in charge of setting it up, replenishing food and tearing it down when it’s done. I work at the Den so I will either be making burgers, fried foods, cashing people out, or making milkshakes. In the dining hall, I’ll do everything from checking IDs to helping with cooking, serving and cleaning tables. I pretty much do everything except working at the coffee shop.”
These are the duties that Powell is in charge of, but all employees have different opportunities based on what areas need the most attention, where the employer decides to put the employee and the requests of the employee.
To apply at the dining hall, search for employment on the Daemen website. For any other jobs, emails are sent to Daemen students when positions are available.
Campus employment offers students the chance to be part of the Daemen community and develop valuable skills for their future careers.
“I feel like they give me a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Hill said.