Saint Louis University Madrid Campus is now evaluating the performance of students who work in the bookstore, reception, and other departments on campus.
As of this semester, department heads and supervisors have been tracking students’ work habits and giving them written evaluations. According to Marta Sanchez-Paulete, bookstore supervisor, the evaluations will help students develop skills for future jobs and encourage them to take their jobs seriously.
The departments are now giving students a higher level of responsibility, and some require projects to work on during their work hours.
Many students have benefited from the work-study program, known as the Departmental Support Scholarship, which provides financial aid and job experience. The most recent changes were made with a clear goal to spur students’ personal growth.
Departments are stressing the importance of regular attendance and being on time. These measurements ensure students take advantage of their work-study opportunities and actively participate in their jobs. The new rules also mandate that students undertake a higher level of responsibility in their work-study jobs.
Although this may initially appear to be an additional source of stress, students have said that the workload is reasonable and that it can be completed within the scheduled work-study hours.
“Depending on the department, it could seem like another class,” Evelyn Gonzalez, a sophomore, said. “But they don’t ask much beyond the hours of what is asked, and they try to make sure the students only do their work within those hours.”
Department heads are in charge of evaluating students within their departments and offering helpful feedback during these assessments, which will occur at the start and end of each semester, according to Sanchez-Paulete.
“I prefer to evaluate them so they know if they need help on their work,” she said.
The goal is to provide students with insightful feedback so they can develop essential skills and get a feel for what a job after graduation could feel like. The adjustment has been well received by scholarship recipients.
“It feels more like a job that we have to earn rather than just sitting for hours because there are some people who would just take advantage of it,” Gonzalez said.
The new rules also urge students to network with their department heads professionally and get different perspectives. Supervisors give students guidance and support along the way.
“Even though it is a little more work, I think it is more beneficial,” Sanchez-Paulete said, “then we have more open communication.”
Yeishaliz Cancel, a senior, works in the library five hours a week. She answers questions about how to check out books and helps students print papers and assignments. “The evaluation does help encourage having more patience and kindness, especially toward freshmen,” Cancel said.
