There are student employees working for the many different departments around campus.

According to the Career Services Center, there are around 70 different departments on campus that currently employ students.

Recreational Services has staked their claim at the top of this list. With 130 student employees, Rec Services is the largest student employer on campus.

Opening in 2006, the $19 million facility plays host to any and all student leisure needs. Featuring a full fitness center, swimming pool and intramural fields, it’s no wonder that this facility, with all its amenities, requires the greatest number of employees.

Patrick Edwards, the assistant director of facilities and student development knows why so many students work at the Rec Center.

“It is such a fun, visible place on campus”, said Edwards. “We have a lot of students that want to work here.”

Visibility, as Edwards puts it, is a key selling point for a job at the Rec. With the number of students that travel through the center each day, students are almost guaranteed to see someone that they know.

“You get to see so many different people from campus,” said sophomore customer service representative Angela Miranda, “I love it; It’s great.”

This visibility is a key attribute that many college students are looking for when trying to decide on a job. Rec Services knows this and provides an opportunity for this to be possible.

“I enjoy working [at the Rec] because I’m able to interact with people that I may not normally see around campus otherwise,” equipment checkout specialist Scott Steiber said.

The Rec Center benefits not only from the large traffic of students flowing, as well as the attitude they have taken towards their employees.

“Their work shifts revolve around their class schedules,” said Edwards, “They’re a student, first and foremost.”

This student-first attitude is another key selling point for Rec Services. With 2-3 shifts per week, student workers are able to hold a steady job, yet still be able to have time for their scholastic endeavors.

Because of this flexibility and visibility that this type of job allows, Rec Services’ biggest philosophy is that they are nothing without their student employees.

“The student employees are the face of the Rec Center,” said Edwards. “We’re here for the students.”

After adapting a very student-employee-first attitude, it is no wonder why Rec Services is the largest employer on campus.

Coupled with the visibility and flexibility of the scheduling, other departments simply cannot offer the same employee experience.

Not only do they employ the largest amount of students; they keep these students working for them. The 100 percent retention rate of its employees speaks for itself.

Students work there and they stay there.

“This is my fourth year working at the Rec,” said Steiber.

This is no easy feat for any department, as students can be quite inconsistent at times. However, Rec Services has taken measures to prevent this from happening.

“We look for employees with transitional work values,” said Edwards. “The best employees are the ones you don’t have to worry about.”

Looking for this type of student almost certainly guarantees that an operation will run smoothly and students will remain there over the years.

Rec services has taken steps to make sure this is possible by looking for the best of the best. This also contributes to their continual success.

A large rec center cannot be run by a small amount of people.

This is one reason for the large amount of employees that Rec Services has in its arsenal.

However, the positive, student-first environment coupled with the visibility and flexibility of the scheduling certainly gives rec services an edge over several other jobs.

“[Working at the rec] has allowed me to meet new people and make some extra money while I am at school.” Said Steiber, “it’s been a great experience.”