By Natalie Weger and Ilana Williams
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Pay for hourly wage jobs for undergraduate students at the University of Maryland ranged from $12.50 per hour to $25 an hour, according to 2022 student wage records acquired by The Diamondback.
Students work in different departments across this university, including at Eppley Recreation Center, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and in department offices, among others.
Here’s what some of those on-campus jobs look like.
Clarice ticket office representative
As a ticket office representative, students take count of everyone who walks into the Clarice and help usher for various events. This job was paid $13 per hour in 2022.
Sometimes, the Clarice can be quiet, but when there’s an event, ushers have the opportunity to sit in for the performances and experience the performing arts community, said Manny Fitsum, a junior kinesiology major.
“You might have some moments where there’ll be a big rush, a big crowd, but like almost everyone’s got your back,” Fitsum said. “Some of the best conversations I’ve had have been after going through a huge rush.”
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When it comes to ushering events, the schedule is flexible, Fitsum said. A lot of shifts are dependent on what shows are available.
“It keeps [the job] interesting,” Fitsum said. “You don’t know what you’re going to work, you don’t know what it entails.”
Ushering an event at the Clarice is about hospitality and making people feel welcome, Fitsum said. It’s what someone would expect at any other performance arts hall.
Lizzy Blake, a senior operations management and business analytics and information systems major, is a ticket office representative at the Clarice. She also provides customer service for the people who enter the building.
Blake took last semester off for marching band and said her boss was welcoming when she wanted to work at the Clarice this semester.
When asked what stands out about working at the Clarice, Blake said, “just the incredible community… we all kind of look out for each other.”
Student peer advisors at the behavioral and social sciences college
Student peer advisors who work at the Feller Center at the behavioral and social science college act as a mediator between students and advisors in the college. They work to understand and simplify problems students are looking to solve and translate that to advisors. This job paid $13 per hour in 2022.
Students often come in after or at the end of scheduling deadlines and need an appointment, which is difficult because advisors don’t always make exceptions, according to Steven Meadows, a senior psychology major.
“It’s definitely challenging at times,” Meadows said. “You have to deal with a lot of different student issues.”
If students come in three or four days past a deadline, senior peer advisors, like Meadows, have to figure out what the student can do if they can’t meet with an advisor.
“But on the flip side, it’s can be very rewarding,” Meadows said. “It’s nice to see that I am making a difference and helping students.”
As a student peer advisor, it’s very informative as a student to know how to register for classes and learn how to schedule classes for an academic plan, Nana Buachie, a sophomore psychology major,said.
Buachie also says the advising job has other benefits, like the ability to build connections.
“Being aware of all the advisors and the input they have in terms of [these majors is] a pretty good benefit,” Buachie said. “I work … closely to the people that I would need help with regardless of whether I worked here or not.”
Eppley Recreation Center Facilities Worker
North Campus facilities staff at Eppley Recreation Center are the first faces people usually see when entering the building. These staff provide customer service, enforce admission policies and manage equipment, according to University Recreation and Wellness.
Sophomore microbiology major Makenzie Hopkins is part of Eppley’s North Campus facilities staff, and her starting pay was $15.40 per hour. She said staff members work at least two shifts per week. Week shifts are two and a half hours long and weekend shifts are about four hours, Hopkins said.
“It’s just nice to work with people and work on my communication skills and customer service skills,” Hopkins said.
There are not many drawbacks to this position besides transportation and balancing it with other responsibilities, Hopkins said.
Eppley Recreation Center Personal Trainers
Eppley Recreation Center personal trainers provide coaching and exercise programs to individuals and small groups. They usually work about five to eight hours per week. Personal trainers for individuals make a starting pay of $21.75 per session and small group personal trainers make a starting pay of $25.25 per session, according to RecWell.
To qualify for the position, you must have a personal training certification from an NCCA-accredited organization, the ability to obtain a CPR and First Aid certification and the ability to lift 45 pounds, according to RecWell.
When senior kinesiology major and personal trainer Caroline Macdonald gets a client, she creates a schedule to meet the clients goals based on their fitness level.
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Senior information systems major Manoel Fangmo, a personal trainer at Eppley, takes his clients through a warm-up routine, lifting session, high intensity interval training workout and cool down stretch. The routine usually takes an hour, he said.
Working as an Eppley personal trainer is enlightening, Fangmo said. Fangmo has been lifting weights for eight years and said fitness has transformed his life.
“Not only are you sharing knowledge with your clients, you also learn a lot from them. And you learn how to talk to people, how to motivate people and how to be there for people,” Fangmo said.
Macdonald has experience in physical therapy and high-level strength conditioning. She trains clients who may have a specialized need, such as a problem with their overhead motion or a gait pattern.
“I really enjoy doing this,” Macdonald said. “Those benefits of being able to help people and them reaching their goals and gaining confidence is really rewarding.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled Nana Buachie’s last name. This story has been updated.
