Hundreds of University Federal Work Study (FWS) students gathered in the Multi-purpose Activity Center (MAC) to search for employment at the Job Fair on Thursday, September 5.
The Job Fair, organized by the Student Employment Office, serves to help students in the FWS program find work on and off-campus.
According to the University website, the Office of Financial Aid is responsible for awarding students FWS, which is determined based on the Free Application for Federal Students Aid (FAFSA). The students who qualify for FWS are given preferential hiring in the month of September. Those who do not qualify for FWS can still receive jobs on campus, but are considered Student Help.
Aimee Parks, the Assistant Director of Human Resources for Student Employment, says that there are roughly 1, 700 University students who have been awarded FWS this year. According to Parks, the Student Employment Office can hire four FWS students for the price of just one Student Help employee.
“Monmouth gives you roughly $1.88 an hour and the federal government subsidizes the rest of your wages,” Parks explains.
During this year’s Job Fair, there were over 40 on and off-campus employers present. Among the off-campus organizations were the Young Men Christian Association, Two Rivers Theater and a handful of local after school programs.
The Athletics Department, Peer Tutoring, Residential Life, and the Office of Undergraduate Admission are four on-campus employers that generally tend to hire the most FWS students each year, Parks says.
“It’s a tough competition,” she adds,” but those are probably the top four departments.”
Lauren Puglisi, an Admission Counselor at the Office of Undergraduate Admission and one of the co-supervisors of the ambassador program, attended the Job Fair this past Thursday in the hopes of recruiting 10 to 15 freshmen to work as room ambassadors. Puglisi and co-supervisor Patrick Brennan have already hired roughly 35 upper-classman as tour ambassadors, all of whom are a part of the FWS program.
“Ambassadors play an important role in the Office of Undergraduate Admission by touring students around campus and also showcasing their rooms to prospective students and their families,” Puglisi said. When looking to hire new Ambassadors, she explains that the office seeks students that are “outgoing, upbeat, and strive to remain involved on campus.”
Mary Fulco, senior, has been a FWS student for four years and has worked as an ambassador since she was a freshman. “My favorite part of working there is getting to work with a lot of other Monmouth students, getting to tell perspective students all about Monmouth, and sharing with them why I love Monmouth,” said Fulco.
Stephanie Mamo, sophomore, is a first time FWS student and hopes to find a job on campus that she enjoys. Attending the Job Fair has enabled Mamo to speak to employers and get a good idea of where she would like to apply.
Mamo is excited to start earning an income. “A lot of us have to pay for our tuition here and when we leave our jobs from back home, it will be very difficult to afford things such as necessities while also trying to pay off our tuition,” Mamo explained.
Though the job fair is meant only for FWS students, those without FWS can visit the Student Employment office located on the first floor of the student center at any time during the school year to apply for on or off-campus jobs.
