Nomination Countdown

Five more days left to nominate an exceptional University of Denver student for the Student Employee of the Year contest. The winner will receive a personalized DU hockey jersey, recognition at our annual ice cream social, and the chance to compete in a national contest that carries a $1,000 reward.

Thank you to participants in today's Nomination Writing Workshop, held in partnership with the DU Writing Center. For nominators who couldn't make it to workshop, here are a few tips from the Writing Center's Eliana Schonberg and Geoffrey Bateman:

• Think about why you are nominating this student. What sets him or her apart from present and past co-workers and peers?
• Generate a list of specific examples that illustrate why this employee deserves recognition.
• Explain how this employee has made your life easier.
• Review the attributes of past Student Employee of the Year winners (here and here). 

Nomination forms for the competition can be accessed here and should be sent to stuemp@du.edu by Feb. 15. DU staff and faculty can schedule an individual appointment at the Writing Center for guidance during the nomination writing process.

From DU to BU

For Ally Veneris, a lot has changed in a year. The University of Denver 2010 Student Employee of the Year graduated and accepted a position in 2011 as the operations coordinator at Boston University's Office of Orientation. "So far, moving to a new city and working at a new university has been a wonderful experience; the BU community has been extremely welcoming and I feel that I am getting valuable exposure to a different aspect of higher education," Ally recently told the Office of Student Employment. 

Ally was nominated for Student Employee of the Year for her work as a peer advisor at the DU Study Abroad office. She implemented a variety of new processes during the three years she worked there, including a “Study Abroad 101” session now required for all prospective study abroad students. Her Work-Study position prepared her for her role at BU. "Working in the Study Abroad office at DU taught me a lot about working at a university and providing programs for students, and it has been rewarding to transfer those skills into my new role, especially my role as the direct supervisor for the 15 student workers in our office," Ally told us. "Supervising students is very rewarding, but it is also challenging and I now appreciate the supervisors I had at DU even more than I did before."

The 2011 Student Employee of the Year contest is now underway. A workshop for supervisors who would like to nominate students will be held Thursday at Penrose Library. All nominations are due from supervisors by Feb. 15. The winner will be announced April 13 at our annual ice cream social.

It's FAFSA time!

Have you submitted your FAFSA yet? It is an essential piece to be considered for a Work-Study award. Read this Reuters post for more information. http://blogs.reuters.com/prism-money/2011/01/14/fafsa-submit-early-to-max-out-your-financial-aid/.

Student Employment partner to launch unprecedented human trafficking study

Congratulations to one of our Community Service Work-Study partners, Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking. The nonprofit announced on Tuesday it has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Embry Family Foundation to launch an unprecedented study of promising anti-trafficking practices in the U.S. Here's what our partners said in their press release:

“We are honored to have the opportunity to spearhead this collaborative process, which will involve multiple agencies and experts. Currently, no national campaign exists to guide states, cities, and communities in addressing human trafficking,” said LCHT Executive Director Amanda Finger. “We believe Colorado is an ideal place to pilot this ambitious project. Not only is it a source, transit, and destination state for human trafficking, it also has a vibrant anti-trafficking movement.”

A decade after the passage of federal legislation to combat human trafficking, the Colorado Project to Comprehensively Combat Human Trafficking (Colorado Project) will document successful strategies to prevent human trafficking, protect survivors, punish traffickers, and build key partnerships (4Ps) between social service agencies. LCHT will conduct its research in concert with statewide leaders from multiple fields, including Dr. AJ Alejano-Steele, Professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver; the Denver Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Denver attorney and anti-trafficking advocate Patricia Medige; and Lauren Croucher, Human Trafficking Project Director with the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance.

The Embrey Family Foundation champions the well-being and rights of all people by supporting programs that advance human rights, healthy communities, education, and artistic creativity."

What is Work-Study?

At the Office of Student Employment, we often receive questions about the Federal Work-Study Program. Think of the following list as a crash course in the program:

1)Work-Study Awards are highly sought after grants distributed based on financial need and time of FAFSA application.
2) Work-Study is a federal work program. Unlike loans or scholarships that are disbursed at the beginning of each term that can cover tuition and fees, Work-Study is disbursed in the form of a biweekly paycheck for actual hours worked.
3) These wages are given directly to the student in the form of a paycheck and can help the student with indirect costs such as books or travel expenses.
4) Work-Study earnings cannot be applied directly to tuition. It’s essentially like any other part-time job, except the wages are paid by the government. Once the student receives this paycheck, they can certainly apply it to their account, and they can do so by paying the cashier’s office.
5) If you are not awarded Work-Study as part of your financial aid package, don't worry. Employment is still a great option for managing your educational costs. You can find non-Work-Study jobs at www.du.edu/studentemployment, under the Students link.