IUPUI

Growing the Number of Student Jobs Will Pay Big Dividends

INDIANAPOLIS - For most students at IUPUI, working is a fact of college life.

There's another fact that IUPUI staff who help students find jobs would like to create: turn this campus into a major employer of our students.

This would be a win-win situation for both students and campus employers.

IUPUI offers a range of on- and off-campus employment programs for students, ranging from permanent campus jobs, to Work-Study programs; student hourly positions; Internships; and JagTemps, temporary on-campus jobs.

The primary student employment intercession is www.jagjobs.org, a free online job and mentor database where employers advertise job openings as well as volunteer to become mentors to IUPUI students and all 29,000 IUPUI students can access JagJobs daily.

JagTemps enables students to join a pool of workers available for on-campus, part-time temporary jobs. Jobs through JapTemps can last anywhere from three days to three months, pay a minimum of $8 an hour, and must be no more than 20 hours a week. JagTemps positions are posted on JagJobs, every student can see the jobs but only JagTemps students can apply for the positions. As soon as the student applies for a position on JagJobs, the resume is immediately available to the employer.

"IUPUI students are highly talented and skilled, whether they are 19 or 20 years old or 35 and coming back to school," said Tracie Hughes, assistant director of Student Employment with the Career Center.

With 80 percent of undergraduate students at IUPUI working, the Career Center has more students looking for campus jobs than there are jobs available, Hughes noted.

Having students work on-campus is an ideal option, she continued. "They come here and park once. When they are working on campus, they get to know faculty and administrators and learn about IUPUI from another perspective. They feel more connected to campus. Working on-campus can help students to persist in school, which positively affects our retention efforts."

With campus employers often turning to temporary employment agencies, Hughes said, "it would be fantastic if we could keep that money here and harness it for students."

Nancy Chism, with the School of Education, couldn't agree more.

"There are a number of reasons why it works from the employers' standpoint," she said. "You are assured the person at least has the background preparation to get into college, will be around for awhile and offers good talent for a pretty good price."

"It also helps keep our staff more in touch with where students are and what they're thinking," she said. "It's like having a son or daughter on campus."

In JagTemps, the Career Center and Human Resources take care of criminal background checks and other required paperwork, making it convenient to hire students, she added.

"On the student side, working on-campus is convenient. It's easier than moving your car and parking again," Chism said. "But by far the biggest advantage to students is that often their employers become their advocate for being successful in their studies by helping students troubleshoot problems they might encounter at IUPUI. There is a built-in caring that creates a sense of home, an anchor on-campus."

For Stevan Richards working on-campus can't be beat. "It makes the gas money go further, I'm familiar with the area, and working on-campus offers a comfort zone."

Stevan is a non-traditional student that returned to campus after leaving it in 1991. His experience with Jag Temps has "worked out well. The process is relatively painless. I just have to look on JagJobs and apply for the position."