Students recognized for work

The IU Student Employment Office recognized student workers both on and off-campus last week with its annual Student Employment Awareness Week. The week was intended to increase public recognition of student employment by recognizing and thanking both students who work and their employers for providing them with job opportunities. Although Student Employment Awareness Week started about 15 years ago, it wasn't nationally recognized until 1990. \n"Too many times employers don't understand the importance of a part-time position they offer students," said Janice Nickless, associate director of the IU Career Development Center. "These jobs are where students learn to interact and develop their interpersonal skills. This is so important."\nTwo Student Employees of the Year were selected again this year, one for on-campus and one for off. These winners were selected based on certain criteria, which included reliability, initiative, professionalism, quality of work and uniqueness of contribution. Their employers sent a letter of recommendation addressing these criteria to the Student Employment Office, where a team comprised of a graduate assistant, two professional staff members and a program assistant reviewed the nominations and chose the winners.\nRafael Davis, a freshman, was named Off-Campus Student Employee of the Year while Andrew Saxe, a senior, won the On-Campus Student Employee of the Year award. Davis works at Binford Elementary School and Saxe has been employed at the Office of the Bursar for over three years.\nDavis was nominated by three different Binford employees. Betsy Walsh, the principal, Amanda Martin, the school's social worker and Lana Cummings, a fourth-grade teacher all felt that Davis deserved the award. \n"He goes above and beyond of what we expect from him," Martin said. \nDavis is involved with the Indiana Reading and Math Team (IRMT), which is a service that provides free tutoring for kids who have certain academic needs. Binford refers kids who need extra motivation to Davis. Davis visits the school four days a week, Monday through Thursday from 3:10 to 4:00. However, his work with them reaches beyond tutoring. \n"The boys consider Rafael not only their tutor but also their friend," Martin said. \nAfter helping the boys finish their homework, Davis is often found outside playing with them. Martin said she often hears some of the boys saying things like "Rafael said we really need to focus on school" and other such things that they would not normally say. Martin said Davis is an inspiration to the kids and an important factor in the improvement in their self-esteem. \nDavis has tutored seven boys and said he loves what he is doing. Although Davis came to IU as an exploratory major, he has now declared an elementary education major.\n"I don't know if I'll stick with it, but for right now it's what I want to do," he said. "I think I am where God wants me right now."\nDavis said he was surprised to learn he won the award.\n"It really threw me back," he said. "I didn't know I was working that hard because it was fun. But, I am extremely flattered."\nAndrew Saxe said he was also shocked.\n"I didn't even know I was in the running," he said. "But it is nice to know that the people in the bursar's office feel the same way about me as I feel about them."\nLike Davis, Saxe learned about his job at the annual Student Employment Fair in the fall. \n"I wanted to learn about supporting and networking computers so I thought the job at the bursar's office would be perfect," he said.\nSaxe has been employed at the Office of the Bursar since fall 1998. Saxe graduated in December, but still maintains student status through May and continues to work at the office. His duties resemble the role of a help desk, he said. He supports the workstations in the office and answers user questions and also manages the bursar Web site. In addition, he writes programs to manage the network. \n"There are so many things I like about my job at the bursar's office," Saxe said. "Probably the best thing about my job is that I have learned so much."\nMoreover, he said he has made lifelong connections to the people in the office. His co-workers in the office have provided him with structure and stability that he feels so many students lack in their college years. \n"I know I don't have all the words that would truly describe the many, many, many contributions that he has given to us, but I do know that the entire staff has a special place in their hearts for him," said Bob Lezotte, assistant bursar manager of departmental computing. \nSaxe is planning on leaving IU at the end of April when he is prepared to move to the east coast or somewhere in the southeastern part of the U.S. in order to examine the opportunities there. \nDavis and Saxe both were presented with a framed certificate at a recognition luncheon held at Grisanti's Restaurant April 12. Representatives from the Indiana Career and Postsecondary Advancement Center (ICPAC), which was named the Campus Employer of the Year, and Meadowood Retirement Community, which was named the Community Employer of the Year, were also in attendance. Like the employees, the employers were selected based on variety of opportunities, continued partnership with the Student Employment Office, competitive pay rates, job fair attendance and placement reporting, Nickless said.