Potential Sources Of Student Employees

Lorry A. McClellan, Governors State University

AS PARK DISTRICT STAFFS plan their year-round and summer programs, they often consider hiring college students for various positions. Now, with the expansion of the junior college system in Illinois and the increase in educational programs that are vocationally oriented, there are many students developing the skills and knowledge that can be very useful in parks and recreation.

What students are available? As you inquire, you will probably discover that there are 1) students in parks and recreation programs who are seeking part-time or summer employment or field worker/internship positions; and 2) students who have a general interest in working in parks and recreation and simply are seeking a part-time or summer job.

The accompanying chart should be helpful in finding students who are actually studying in related areas and who may have extremely useful skills and knowledge. Those seeking positions for field work or internships are in programs where they will receive academic credit for their work. (In the junior colleges listed, students may be involved in a one-year Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree program.)

If you are mainly interested in finding good workers and do not really need students with special skills, there are several avenues for finding persons who want or need part-time or summer jobs. The basic approach would be to contact the nearest junior college, state university, or private college and ask for the office that handles student employment. This could be the Office of Student Services, Financial Aids, Student Employment, Cooperative Education, or some other. In the greater Chicago area, it could be very useful to contact the Metropolitan Urban Corps at 64 East Jackson, 8th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60604 (phone: 427-9151, extension 215). The Urban Corps is a consortium effort of over twenty-five Chicago area colleges and

POTENTIAL SOURCES OF STUDENT EMPLOYEES*
Junior Colleges	Programs	Estimate of Students	Contact Person
Carl Sandburg College P. O Box 1407 Galesburg 61401
	Resources (Conservation) Waste Water Technology	10-15 15-20	Fred Cline
College of DuPage Glen Ellyn 60137	Recreational Leadership Ornamental Horticulture	30-40	D. Richard Petrizzo
Kennedy-King College 7047 S. Stewart Ave. Chicago 60621	Recreational Leadership Ornamental Horticulture	70-80 30-40	Kenneth Woodman
Moraine Valley Community College 10900 S. 88th Ave. Palos Hills 60465	Recreational Leadership	N/A	Howie Scheidt
Parkland College 2 Main Street Champaign 61820	Recreational Leadership Recreational Areas and Facilities	45-50 10-15	Clifton H. Mate
Rock Valley College 3301 N. Mulford Ed. Rockford 61111	Recreational Leadership	25-30	N/A
Shawnee Community College Ullin 62992	Agricultural Resources (Planning to develop program in Park Administration)	50-60	H. C. Lawrence
Southeastern Illinois College 333 W. College St. Harrisburg 62946	Forest Technology	10-15	Robert L. Gregg
Triton College 2000 Fifth Avenue River Grove 60171	Recreational Leadership Ornamental Horticulture	100-110	Mrs. Frances McCann
Wabash Valley College 2200 College Mt. Carmel 62863	Conservation and Outdoor Recreation	20-25	Morris Burkett
SENIOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Southern Illinois University Vocational-Technical Institute Carbondale 62901	Forest Products Technology Water Resources Technology	N/A	N/A
University of Illinois College of Physical Education 104 Huff Gymnasium Champaign 61820	Department of Recreation and Park Administration	N/A	Allen V. Sapora
Governors State University Park Forest South 60466	Cooperative Education	N/A	Dixon Bush

*Information compiled by Barbara Williams, President, Olympia Fields Park District.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 4 May/June, 1972

universities which are working together to place students in jobs. Most students placed through Urban Corps are from limited-income backgrounds and if you hire through Urban Corps, you pay 25% of the person's salary and the rest is paid by Federal Funds through the college work-study program. In this way, it is possible to hire four students for the cost of one.

Basic Conditions

If you are interested in hiring students, when you contact a school, you will probably be asked for information of this kind:

—Basic job description (plus any particular skills needed)

—Time (length of time, number of hours)

—Salary (is there a salary range, raises, fringe benefits?)

—How many positions are available?

—Who should student contact for further information?

The schools listed may wish to discuss the possibilities of field work or internship arrangements. They may wish to know if:

—instructor can visit on the job

—instructors and students can set up conferences with regular staff

—regular staff are willing to act as supervisors for students and possibly write evaluations on the students' activity and performance

—students may do specific tasks or experience a range of tasks on the job

More and more students, particularly in junior colleges, are seeking part-time and summer jobs and by hiring them you can play a large role in helping them stay in school. In addition, they have valuable skills, energy and enthusiasm to contribute to your programs. It is believed the chart* of programs at junior colleges is complete, and if you have further information on senior college programs or would like to share some of the programs you have developed using student employees, please contact this writer at your convenience.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 5 May/June, 1972