Employment opportunities are offered through Culinary Services, Housing and Residence Life and other departments on OU’s Athens campus.
Students must complete an I-9 form and be enrolled at either OU, Hocking College, another post-secondary education institution or a secondary school in order to be hired at OU.
Brittany Koska, the assistant manager for Culinary Services, said her workplace is convenient for student employees.
“We have multiple venues on campus, so it’s very convenient to find a venue close to their residence hall,” Koska said in an email. “We are very flexible with school schedules.”
Koska said there will be a multitude of employment opportunities for the Fall Semester at Nelson Court, The District on West Green, Latitude 39, West 82 Food Court, catering, cafes and markets, including Jefferson marketplace.
Student employees are able to work up to 25 hours per week at the university while international students can work up to 20 hours per week.
Koska said the starting pay rate for the cafes and markets is between $8.80 and $9.60 per hour, while the starting pay rate is between $9.30 and $10.10 per hour for residential dining, West 82 and Latitude 39.
Ben Byers, a junior studying journalism, said his experience working at Nelson Court allowed him to gain personal skills. He said he was responsible for ensuring the dining hall did not run out of food and for serving food to students.
“This job definitely helped me work with other people and helped with my communications skills, as during my shift you really do need to communicate with your coworkers and the chefs about how much food you have or what food you need to make sure nothing runs out,” Byers said in an email. “If you don't work well with your team or if you don't communicate then everything can fall apart.”
In addition to food service jobs, there are other opportunities to work on campus, such as a job with Housing and Residence Life. Amira Lucas, a senior studying music, worked as a resident advisor, or RA.
“RA’s were to patrol the building 1-2 times a week during the night, answer the duty phone when they were holding it, hold social events within your res-hall and check up on their residents when needed,” Lucas said in an email. “We also let residents back into their room when they were locked out, and reported any activity that could be harmful to residents or against school policy.”
Lucas said RAs were paid bi-weekly and were also provided with free on-campus housing in the residence halls.
There are also jobs available off-campus that are within walking distance from the residence halls, including jobs on Court Street.
Tyler Benson, an external communications analyst for Chipotle, said the restaurant offers many benefits for student employees.
Chipotle offers college students debt-free schooling at several nonprofit universities through a partnership with Guild Education, an education platform for student employees, as well as mental health resources.
The restaurant’s debt-free degree offering includes a tuition reimbursement program that allows eligible employees to be reimbursed for up to $5,250 per year in tuition costs in qualifying programs, Benson said.
With the benefits available for students through either on-campus or off-campus employment, Byers said working a job while attending college can benefit students.
“I believe for students having a job on campus can (definitely) help them not only financially but emotionally as well, as it is something other than school for them to do,” Byers said in an email. “Often times going to school everyday and nothing else can drive people crazy so it's nice to have something else to do, especially in times of Covid, to get them out and about.”