Quirky campus jobs: Trash adviser, CFA and DOS assistants

Not every work-study job requires you to answer the phone, make copies and go on coffee runs.

At Boston University, work-study jobs range from bookselling at Barnes &' Noble to blogging for Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore.

The Daily Free Press interviewed some of the students who work these quirky jobs:

Trash Adviser:

College of General Studies sophomore Angel Rodriguez works at the George Sherman Union but not at the most typical places.

Rodriguez is a trash adviser &- a job created after the GSU received an eco-friendly renovation this past summer.

Trash advisers are responsible for delegating where students should put their trash.

Rodriguez explained that all trash coming directly from the cafeteria must go into the yellow-rimmed bin designated for compost.

"The plastic wear is made out of potatoes, and the cups are made from corn," he said.

Instead of the old garbage cans, the cafeteria is now equipped with long counters with four, color-coordinated bins: two for compost, one for garbage and one for plain old trash.

Rodriguez's job is only temporary, but he said people have taken notice of the new garbage guards.

"A few people have said that they are glad we are here because some people might be lost," he said.

Rodriguez said he believes in the importance of his job too. When he was a freshman, he lived in the South Campus Environmental House, so this year he volunteered himself for hire as a trash adviser.

"If we weren't sorting the trash, it would all end up in a landfill," he said.

However, Rodriguez said that on an hour-to-hour basis, time can drift by slowly.

In five minutes on a Sunday afternoon, only one person walked by the trash counter to throw something away. The person didn't even need help. During such slow times, Rodriguez said he simply observes the crowd.

"You hear the most incriminating conversations," he said.

School of Theatre Office Assistant:

At the College of Fine Arts theatre office, there is always someone to greet you and make visitors feel welcome.

One of these friendly faces is office assistant and CFA senior Edward Cleary.

Cleary, a music major, began working in the office as a freshman, he said.

However, he said his job is more than just office work.

His basic job description entails calming down nervous parents and prospective students, answering any and all questions about the school, doing outreach for the theater programs, organizing incoming applications and conducting information sessions about the school.

"I like to think of us as little assistants to everyone in this office," he said.

Unlike his other two jobs at Dairy Queen and as a bank teller, Cleary's job at CFA's School of Theatre has given him skills that he can use after graduation, he said.

Cleary also said that he appreciates the friendly atmosphere in the School of Theatre.

"These people are fun...from janitor to director, we always feel respected here."

Dean of Students Assistant:

"I miraculously ended up in the dean's office," said College of Communication sophomore Abbey Deremer behind her reception desk in the Dean of Students' office.

Deremer got her job through work-study. She said she is happy that she did not get placed in Dining Services like many work-study employees.

"This job will help you in the future, where others will just give you money," she said.

She said that aside from mundane tasks such as taking calls and answering e-mails, working with Elmore is fun.

She said she has made a lot of good connections and learned how to know people. Plus, Elmore invites his student assistants to his home for a student dinner at the end of the semester.

Deremer said she was glad to know the dean on a personal basis.

"The other day, we were playing with his iPad," she said.

However, Deremer said it could get frustrating having to deal with people who think of the Dean of Students' office is the "know-everything-office."

She said she frequently has to take angry phone calls from students trying to evade jury duty. Since students become residents of the state of Massachusetts after three months of living in the state, many BU students are promptly called to the courthouse.

"There's nothing I can do about it," she said.