coordinator

associate professor

graduate assistant

personal trainer

adjunct instructor

University of West Florida

I worked for housing as an RA/LRA. It started off really good with best compensation program for housing RAs in Florida. A fact we were proud of. My time here took a 180 in my third year as I was pushed out of my LRA position in an upper Classman residence hall by my immediate manager who was new to the department. Pretty much it came down to he thought I should have been more proactive getting the residences more involved in housing activities and programs but what I feel he failed to understand is that we were not a freshmen hall. Most residents were older and established and frankly too busy and didn't need housing programs to teach them life skills or help making friends. The hall was known for this and previous staff and residents preferred it this way. He also wanted to replace me with a sorority friend of his who was a new RA in our hall so they could hang out more. Really poopy situation and upper management kinda just let it happen even though I was well liked by the majority of my peers across the department, had been recognized and awarded with several accolades from the housing department and my immediate manager from the previous year came to my defense with the department. :-p

Working as a Student Desk Assistant (SDA) is a good opportunity for students that are looking for part time work because of how well it fits with your school work.

As an SDA, you sit at a main desk within a residence hall. People come to you to ask questions (where's x building?) and rent equipment (pots and pans for kitchen area). You are also the eyes and ears of the building for security reasons, especially at night (The desk operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

The shifts were only 4 hours long, so this allows you to fit a shift in between classes if they happen to be spread out.

If there isn't a lot of traffic in the area you're monitoring, you can open up your homework and work on it. This practice was okay with the supervisors, so no harm done.

At the time I was working, our hours were capped at 20 per week, so it's a strictly part-time only job. You may also have to work at very bad hours, such as midnight to 4am. Be sure to get good rest beforehand! You will have the chance to negotiate with your supervisor and fellow employees about who works what days and nights, so be sure to have your schedule on hand when that happens.

Recently though, I have just completed my second and last year as an RA at the University of West Florida.  I was first an RA over at Heritage Hall where it is a mix of both upper classmen and freshmen residents. It was a challenge to meet the needs of others who are also my peers but it was a great experience none the less After my experience at Heritage Hall I was then relocated to Argo Hall where they just house freshmen. Now at Argo Hall the HD’s felt that I could provide better excellent service to those who are literally living on a college campus for the first time.  I believe they were right with this decision because this year as an RA is defiantly one of my most memorable times there at the campus. I was able to build community in my Hall to the point to where we were able to revive one of many organizations here on campus such as the VGA (Video Game Alliance). The bonds created this year with the freshmen will hopefully carry with them throughout the rest of their college career. So I am comfortable with providing customer service to others who are in need and really enjoy doing so.

The University of West Florida is a great place to work! The culture is one of excitement and encouragement. UWF encourages its faculty and staff to work hard but enjoy themselves. They provide the resources and training necessary to do so. There are also plenty of opportunities to socialize and have fun. These things make work life a happier place to be every day. My position was one of constant contact with students requesting their transcripts, a grade forgiveness or course description. I also processed grade changes for the faculty. Busy times of year included daily processing up to 300 transcripts for mailing or pick up, posting grade forgiveness forms or grade changes. Reports were run monthly to record these totals on Excel sheets. Correspondence to students, faculty and staff were a daily task on email or through the mail.

This university has taken the position of being the liberal counter-culture university.  Only recently has it finally allowed a football program.  For years I worked there and watched homecoming events centered around soccer games. I attended the University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss) and remember so much excitement surrounding homecoming week and the homecoming football game.  Then I would here local graduates of the university express how they didn't want a football team and wanted to keep sports to a minimum and keep the college know for the arts.  The university is very left leaning politically, so conservative views are frowned on and people working there know that voicing conservative values with minimize promotional opportunities and close other doors related to employment advancement opportunities.

Typical Day: Pull books based on group level for each group of students scheduled. Reviewed basic reading skills, read together, discussed reading materials, performed assessments on each student with goal to enhance their reading ability.
What you learned: Patience with young learners, importance of the ability to read on level and the ramifications to the students who are behind the reading curve.
Management: On-site management was effective and offsite management was also very effective.
Your co-workers: Each individual tutor was very open to sharing information and collectively working on solutions for difficult readers.
The hardest part of the job: Not getting so emotional invested in the students.
The most enjoyable part of the job: Having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young students that will impact their futures.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The students are the highlight of work at UWF and the weather is generally pleasant. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Leadership is beholden to a state government that does not value higher education and has policies that fly in the face of progress and social justice. Leadership is also punitive of those who express opinions that do not align with the State's.  Financially strained and hiring and retaining faculty and staff is a real challenge. Most areas are short staffed, some significantly.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Oppressive. Fear and intimidation are the primary leadership "styles".

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful due to lack of adequate funding, being short staffed and having the work of more than one person on my plate.

For years, I have had a negative feeling about being an adjunct instructor, with a lot of experience in teaching on line and in the classroom. An adjunct instructor is someone who is hired by a college to teach but isn't a full member of the faculty. It is very well known that the adjunct instructor position is one with an uncertain future, and will never be seen as a full faculty member. An adjunct instructor is also ineligible for tenure. I would love to stay teaching at UWF if they gave me a full time teaching job. They offer a good salary with an excellent benefits package. Unfortunately, most universities these days would rather hire several adjunct instructors rather than hire one full time professor. I hope one day this attitude towards us will completely change.

It is common practice to hire part time over full time in order to save money. This leads to adjuncts leaving and full time having to pick up the slack while maintaining research hours (with very limited funding in some departments). This tends to be worse when there is a change in management at the University, College, or department level, but is still a common practice regardless. 

Funding is limited, and usually allocated in terms $X amount per semester rather than startup funding. If your department already has the supplies you need, this is fine. If not, then you're expected to do research with equipment you don't have until you can slowly aquire it through your career, fund it yourself, or obtain an external grant.

As with any school, my day consisted of learning every time I set foot in a classroom.  I learned a lot about psychology and the what the field consists of.  I learned many interesting things that the psychology field entails.  The teachers were all outstanding and were always there to assist if you needed help with anything.  The students brought a fresh perspective to things maybe not talked about as much in everyday life and they were always fun and a joy to be around.  The hardest part of attending UWF was the 25 minute drive it took for me to get there, easily.  I enjoyed learning something new everyday while attending UWF.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Coordinator 3 salaries reported	$48,167 per year
Associate professor 3 salaries reported	$70,000 per year
Graduate assistant 3 salaries reported	$15.17 per hour
Personal trainer 2 salaries reported	$18,000 per year
Adjunct instructor 6 salaries reported	$4,500 per month

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