By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- More than 20 student-athletes on this year's Willamette University teams are also student employees in the Division of Student Affairs. The Department of Athletics is part of Student Affairs, along with Student Activities, the Chaplains' Office, Multicultural Affairs, Housing and Conferences, the Bishop Wellness Center, Gender Resource and Advocacy Center, Bon Appetit Dining Services, student programs such as the Bistro, and the Tokyo International University of America Student Affairs Office. The Division covers Willamette's many areas for learning outside of the classroom as well as areas for the health and support of students.
Student employment at Willamette provides students with a chance to earn money while attending college. It can be a key part of earning a college degree. This is the first in a series of five articles about student-athletes who are working in the Division of Student Affairs. The focus of this article is on student-athletes who are employed in food services and/or housing.
Daniel Plumer (So., PG, North Las Vegas, NV/Democracy Preparatory Academy) from the men's basketball team works in Goudy Commons and also is a resident assistant. He works in two very different environments with very different job requirements.
"My duty at Goudy is to keep things safe and efficient for customers because of COVID-19," Plumer said. "I serve food and make sure everything is sanitary when I work there. My duty as an RA is to ensure safety and make sure everyone is living in a safe environment here on campus. I have to look after people and keep order in the halls so it's a fun, convenient place for everyone involved."
Audrey Piacsek (Jr., Thorp, Washington, Ellensburg HS), who competes for the women's cross country and women's track and field teams, works at the Bistro, a student-run coffee shop on the Willamette campus.
"I work both at the front counter as a barista and in the kitchen preparing food," Piacsek explained. "I'm also a supervisor, which means that during my counter shifts I am in charge of the financial side of things and making sure that everything is running smoothly. This fall, that includes making sure that everything is sanitized and we are following all our COVID-19 protocols."
Other student-athletes who are working as resident assistants are William Miner (So., C, Lehi, UT/Lehi HS) from baseball, Sylvia Marr (Sr., Grants Pass, OR/Hidden Valley HS) from women's tennis, Jordan Roue (Jr., GK, San Jose, CA/Prospect HS) from women's soccer, Joleigh Miller (So., D, Salem, OR/South Salem HS) from women's soccer and women's track and field, Marykate DeLuca (So., C, San Diego, CA/San Diego International Studies) from softball, plus Emma McEvoy (So., San Jose, CA/St. Francis HS) and Surya Lee (Jr., Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge HS) from women's swimming.
College students seek out student employment positions for a variety of reasons. Plumer was motivated by several factors.
"I'm participating because it is a good and valuable experience," Plumer said. "At the same time, it's fun, and allows you to see and meet new faces here on campus."
Regardless of the motivations, working while attending Willamette and participating in athletics is a challenging combination. It requires good time management and a commitment to perform multiple responsibilities.
"This year, my job doesn't impact my schedule very much because I have so few hours. It is really difficult for me to get extra hours by covering shifts because my class schedule keeps me busy during almost all of our open hours," Piacsek commented. "In normal times, I did find it stressful sometimes to have work on top of school and practice, especially when I had late-night or early-morning shifts. I've never had an actual conflict with work and anything else, though, because the Bistro is very good at being flexible, arranging hours around the rest of my schedule, and finding (someone to) cover if I ever need to miss a shift for any reason."
"Being an RA doesn't affect basketball much, it fits in pretty nicely," Plumer explained. "However, working at Goudy at first was a lot (because I took on a lot of shifts), but once practice started I adjusted my working schedule, and now it's really easy and convenient."
In addition to the complexity of scheduling work hours around classes and practices, student employees have had to adjust to COVID-19 protocols this fall. It has been difficult in some ways, but Piacsek has been glad to comply.
"Our hours have been cut significantly because we have much less business this fall, so I'm only working half as much as I did last year," Piacsek said. "Even with shorter hours, we definitely have much less traffic in the Bistro. One of the biggest differences is that we're take-out only, so we can't have any customers linger in the Bistro space. The atmosphere is very different when there aren't people hanging out, doing homework, and talking in the background -- it's a lot lonelier, and I'm looking forward to when we can get back to normal!
"We've also recently extended the counter space and put up a barrier to help us maintain social distance," Piacsek added. "So my co-worker and I can't even talk to each other as easily. That said, I'm glad we're even open right now, and I'm happy to do anything to help us stay open safely."
Despite the challenges of managing time and working with COVID-19 protocols, student employment can be very rewarding and enjoyable. It offers chances for each worker to have significant interactions with other workers and the overall student population. And it's an opportunity to earn money to go toward tuition or as extra cash during the academic year. For Plumer and Piacsek, the net gain is worth overcoming the challenges.
"Working as a student-athlete can be difficult, but it depends on how well you can handle it," Plumer noted. "It isn't for the weak! But it is a very fun experience, and I'm happy to do it."
"I love my coworkers at the Bistro. They are the kindest group of people I've met on campus! It's always a fun time even on slow days because we can hang out together," Piacsek said. "I also love working in the kitchen because I really enjoy cooking and baking. It's fun to come up with new ideas for dishes and try them out. It's a very rewarding job when you hear people talking about how much they like Bistro cookies or see someone get excited to try something you made."
Each of Plumer's jobs has advantages that he appreciates.
"What I like about being an RA is that it has helped me build and establish new relationships I didn't see coming, which was nice," Plumer said. "And I get to be in a student leadership position on campus. What I like about working at Goudy is how nice everyone is, and how flexible they are. They understand I am a student first and always keep my best interests in mind."
In return, Plumer's work has impressed Area Coordinator Aaron Hukari, who supervises Plumer's efforts as a resident assistant.
"DJ has been a stellar RA in building a community with his residents," Hukari said. "He has fostered relationships with residents throughout his floor in surprising ways and has contributed immensely to our staff team. I'm looking forward to seeing how his work continues to build his community as he settles into the RA role."
For Piacsek, the ability to participate in student employment by working at the Bistro has been an exceptional opportunity. Piacsek been able to manages classes, work shifts, and practices.
"We only have three official practices per week because we can run on our own, so I can usually find time to run whenever I need to," Piacsek explained. "I do think that having an athlete on the staff is good business for the Bistro because we can bring in a whole team of hungry athletes to get some food after a hard practice."
Student-Athletes who Work in the Division of Student Affairs:
Goudy, Bistro, Resident Assistants
Baseball
William Miner, Resident Assistant
Men's Basketball
Daniel Plumer, Goudy; Resident Assistant
Women's Cross Country/Track and Field
Audrey Piacsek, Bistro
Women's Soccer
Joleigh Miller, Resident Assistant
Jordan Roue, Resident Assistant
Softball
Marykate DeLuca, Resident Assistant
Women's Swimming
Surya Lee - Resident Assistant
Emma McEvoy - Resident Assistant
Women's Tennis
Sylvia Marr, Resident Assistant
Women's Track and Field
Joleigh Miller, Resident Assistant
