The sun is rising, a hot summer day is ahead of him and, at 6:45 on a Thursday morning in July, Jaron Friedman is already awake and ready to face the day’s tasks. From 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. his day is filled with placement exams, presentations, workshops and advising. Meanwhile, across campus, Adam Hogge is stripping beds, vacuuming and dusting in Warren Towers. It may be summer time on the Boston University campus, but neither of the boys is hitting the books.
They are just two of hundreds of BU students who work on-campus during the summer months, compensated by the perks of experiencing Boston in the summertime. They are the faces that stand out in the crowd: the ones who led summer orientation groups, who cleaned rooms, who spread the message of healthy living to their peers. Although their duties may have differed, their summer jobs on campus included many long hours and minimal wages in return for free housing, valued at $2,000 and an extraordinary bonding experience.
Housing is one of the top reasons behind students’ interest in applying for summer jobs with BU. As a student advisor (SA) working for the Office of Orientation and Off-Campus Services, Friedman, a senior in the School of Management, said the opportunity to live for free in Boston during the summer was one he could not pass up.
“During the summer, especially for the SA’s, we kind of feel like we run the campus,” Friedman said. “But it really is a good time. The weather is nice, the streets are bustling with tourists and Haymarket is the best.”
For his job, Friedman received $225 for each of the eight orientation sessions, as well as $225 for orientation training. This pay, along with the housing compensation and opportunities to meet many people, makes this job one of the more competitive of the summer.
According to Craig Mack, director of orientation and off-campus services, out of the approximately 300 students who apply for the job, only 60 are taken.
“The students we take need to be in good academic standing, demonstrate leadership skills and desire,” Mack said.
After applying for the job in January, students must participate in a group interview and then an individual interview. Even returning students like Friedman must reapply each year.
“If you choose to return, you bypass the group interview, but are still required to have a personal interview,” Friedman said. “Just because you do it one year does not guarantee that you will return. Orientation likes to offer the job to as many people as possible so that they may all have an opportunity to participate in this rewarding program.”
For Friedman, his job as a student advisor for the College of General Studies consistently provided him with the student interaction he desired.
“I expected to meet some great people and have a large impact on the lives of thousands of freshmen, which I have done,” said Friedman, who spent his second summer as an SA.
Friedman, who lived with most of the other orientation staff, resided at 509 Park Drive.
“509 [Park Drive} and 17 Buswell is a nice place to put the SA’s,” Friedman said. “Last summer [Hamilton] House was less than perfect to say the least. But Ham did have [air conditioning] and 509 got hot at times. But still, I’d take 509 over Ham anytime.”
Melissa Michaud Baese, who worked for the Wellness Center as a Peer Education Network Player, said although it was “disgusting” during the three major heat waves, the summer housing offered various benefits.
“In the beginning, it was sort of like a bizarre summer camp experience,” said Baese, a junior in the College of Fine Arts and College of Arts and Sciences. “I have met so many amazing people.”
However, many students agreed that the one aspect of summer housing that detracted from the experience was the moving process.
“Housing was the only real pain for the summer,” Baese said. “We got to stay in our academic year housing until the very last second possible. Then, we had to wait for our apartments to be cleaned, so we had to move into Warren [Towers] for about two weeks.”
College of Communication junior Sam Weber, an operations assistant in the department of conference services, said other problems made the moving day process hectic.
“The whole day was just crazy because I don’t have a car, and I had to cart everything all the way from Danielsen,” said Weber. “The other crazy part was that we were going to have to be out of our old residence by 10 a.m., but we were not allowed to check into Warren until 4 p.m. when they had finished cleaning the rooms. So everyone had to sit around and do nothing with all of the worldly possessions for the entire day.”
“It was a pain,” said Baese. “But I suppose with free housing I can’t complain too much.”
As a PEN player, Baese worked with seven other students during orientation. Their Thursday morning performances included skits about topics such as alcohol abuse, alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, financial responsibility and sexual responsibility.
According to Baese, the job suited her well.
“I applied specifically for [the PEN players], so I did choose it and would not have preferred another job,” Baese said. “It wasn’t too hard to get, as I not only had experience with theater, but also with peer education.”
Rey Monteloyola, a junior in CAS, also spent the summer as a PEN Player.
“I really didn’t have any expectations about the job because I never saw the PEN players during my orientation session,” Monteloyola said. “My opinion changed a little bit about the job because we did the same skits for every session and it got somewhat old week-by-week. I do recommend it to other people because the whole experience was great.”
However, for some students, their experiences with a summer job on the BU campus was not as positive. Adam Hogge, a junior in SMG, worked for the Office of Conference Services as a room attendant, which was the only University job he applied for. Yet, in retrospect, Hogge said he would have preferred any other to the one he received.
“I ended up quitting in late July because I couldn’t take it,” Hogge said. “Another girl quit on the same day as me and two more left the next week. It was an extremely hostile work environment. The room attendants were basically lied to, concerning their responsibilities, and then treated like trash by nearly all of their supervisors, save one or two.”
As room attendants, employees were paid $7.75 an hour to prepare rooms by placing pillows, sheets and other amenities in the rooms and ensuring the beds were made, closets were cleaned and rooms were dusted vacuumed, Hogge said.
According to Hogge, the work required for rooms in Shelton Hall and 10 Buick Street was more intense than he expected.
“In Shelton and Student Village it required cleaning the bathroom hardcore, with serious cleaning supplies, mops, heavy duty gloves, the whole nine yards,” Hogge said. “This is only notable since we were told we would have to do ‘very minimal’ cleaning. Many of the room attendants were, understandably, very displeased about this.”
Shelly Warren, manager of Conference Operations, said that while it is unfortunate that some students end up unhappy in their jobs, they are well informed of their responsibilities.
“We sit down with the students during the interview and tell them it’s not glamorous or pretty and that you’re going to clean toilets,” Warren said. “You’re cleaning a room after a guest left it. We’re very clear with them.”
During the summer, OCS is in charge of turning existing rooms on campus into places for guests to stay. This includes sporting groups, a ballet program, numerous smaller groups and the most prominent group being freshman orientation. Approximately 700 students stay in Warren Towers, while 275 reside at 10 Buick Street. Guests can stay anywhere from two days to multiple weeks, according to Weber.
Warren, who received her BU masters degree in history from in 1995, worked for OCS as a student and said the experience was a positive one.
“I was a student and worked two summers with [OCS],” Warren said. “It’s not what I went to school for, but now it’s a full-time position. The majority of our employees are returning students.”
Of the approximately 50 room attendants, about nine or 10 are student supervisors, according to Warren.
Weber said that, for the most part, his job as an operations assistant for OCS was enjoyable.
“The job that I got was my first choice because we are relatively autonomous, don’t have a lot of direct supervision and get to drive around in a big van,” Weber said. “In retrospect, the room attendants have a lot harder job than me physically, but at times it seems like it would be a little bit nicer just because there is a lot less responsibility and there are always people to talk to and hang out with.”
Along with the summer housing and hours of hard work came the opportunity to meet new people and form new relationships. To Baese, this was one of the highlights of her summer working for BU.
“I didn’t spend much time with most of my friends from the school year because I met so many great people through my job,” Baese said.
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