Facilities & Services

Conference Housing - Employment

Position Descriptions

• Summer Conference Assistant 2008
  The Summer Conference Assistant (SCA) is considered a student assistant position, and appointments are made on a temporary basis. The Summer Conference Assistant's primary responsibility is to ensure conference guest's needs are met. SCA's are primarily responsible for preparations for conference groups, providing customer service, distribution of materials and public relations at the main desk area. The SCA's work schedule is dependent on demand for hall facilities. Special scheduling and mandatory dates will be prepared during heavy check-ins or checkouts.

• Summer Conference Supervisor 2008
  The Summer Conference Supervisor (SCS) is considered a student assistant position, and appointments are made on a temporary basis. The Summer Conference Supervisor oversees specific conference groups and will directly assist with the groups' event planning and execution. The Supervisor provides leadership to the Summer Conference Assistants to ensure that a high level of customer service is maintained. Individual Supervisors will be assigned specific areas of responsibility to enhance the conference program, as well as, to enhance the SCS's professional growth and development. The work schedule is dependent on demand for hall facilities. Special scheduling and mandatory dates will be prepared during heavy check-ins or checkouts. Applicants are not required to have conference housing experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are the minimum qualifications for the positions? A student must be in good judicial standing with the University, currently have a minimum 2.5 GPA, and registered for fall courses at UConn.
• Where would I live? Summer housing placements are based primarily on where conferences are located. Staff is assigned in small groups to various areas.
• What types of groups would I be working with? We serve a variety of groups from adult conference guests, to youth sports campers and high school aged academically focused groups.
• Can I work on campus in another position during the summer? Yes with restrictions and work off campus can be approved for the assistant staff and with limitations for the supervisors.
• How will I know that my application has been received? You will be sent an email to verify receipt so be sure that your email address is accurate.
• When are the interviews taking place? Interviews will be scheduled as completed applications that meet judicial and academic qualifications are received.
• What are the dates of employment? Following Commencement (May 11th), training and building preparations are then followed by the season which is scheduled through August 15th. Employment ceases by August 15th. CA's are granted permission to cease Conference Housing employment the day before CA training begins.
• What are the dates I would be housed? Staff move into their summer placements straight from their spring placement the week after Commencement. You will be provided with a room to move into directly from your spring placement and then to move into your fall placement. There is not a lapse in time where you do not have housing.
• What are the days that are considered mandatory? We will have an orientation in April, training days in May as well as large conference days when we need "all hands on deck". Supervisors will participate in training sessions throughout the spring semester.
• Can I take classes over the summer? Absolutely! Those staff hired as supervisors are more limited with outside commitments.
• What is the average amount of hours I would be able to sign up for? We need our staff to be flexible. There are lighter weeks that require as few as 15 hours and then there are weeks that everyone is close to 4o hours. For those who are eager to work, hours are rarely lacking.
• What if I have a planned vacation? How do I arrange for time off? Planned vacations can be approved prior to the start of the summer. More routine days off will be handled on a first case, first serve basis according to our conference needs at the time.
• Can I have a car on campus during the summer? Yes! It is the same as the academic year. You must have a student pass and park in student lots.
• What is the compensation package? Free room, partial board plan, flexible scheduling, working on a team, priceless experience for a resume! The free room and partial board plan are given based on approximately 15-20 overrnight duties and scheduled meeting time. The team and the experience are what YOU put into it!
• Do the shifts and the hours vary by day? There will always be the standard front desk shifts provided that there are groups in the area. South desk is open 24 hours a day during the season and we open "satellite" offices in Northwest, Hilltop, Alumni and Shippee based on need. Those desks are typically open from 8am - 10pm daily. We also have check in and check outs which create a need for heavier scheduling depending on the number checking in/out and the timeline. These shifts may be in an office or may be done remotely.
• Do I need to have prior experience as a CA or in customer service fields? It certainly helps to have these experiences behind you, but I look at each person on a case by case basis. Supervisor applicants do NOT need previous conference housing experience.
• What is a typical day for a Conference Assistant or Supervisor? The typical day is that there isn't a typical day! One day you could be helping with bed linens and that same afternoon, working a check in at Gampel for 600! That is the great thing about Conference Housing!
  I asked some 2007 staff what they enjoyed about the Assistant position and here is what they said:
  1. It is something different every day
  2. They loved the people they met, both staff and guests, it was a great networking opportunity
  3. The position gives some leeway to be creative and to problem solve independently
  4. They enjoyed that the staff was willing to help each other out