Career Closet Operations Intern (Student Emergency Services)
The Division of Student Affairs Internship Program
The Division of Student Affairs Internship Program allows students to spend a summer handling a special project for the university designed to prepare them for life after graduation. Interns will work 19 hours per week for 10-weeks. These part-time internship positions offer a competitive compensation package that includes an hourly wage and housing assistance. Undergraduate students are eligible to apply. The internship runs from June 1, 2020 to August 7, 2020. The application is due February 16, 2020.
Although internships range in subject matter and skill set, each position is designed to prepare all students for life after graduation. For this reason, each intern will submit various assessments relating to their development in the areas listed in the “What You’ll Learn” section below. These skills, otherwise referred to as the NACE career competencies, have been identified by higher education and corporate recruiting leaders as critical to a student’s career preparation.
Please contact utlei@austin.utexas.edu with questions.
*Undergraduate students must be enrolled in the Spring 2020 semester to be eligible.
The Office
The UT Outpost is a program created by Student Emergency Services in the Office of the Dean of Students. The Outpost is a campus-wide resource offering a free food pantry and a free professional clothing closet for UT students. The mission of the campus food pantry is to aid UT students in their pursuit of higher education by supporting students who struggle with food insecurity, encouraging an educational understanding of food insecurity within the UT Community, and providing professional development opportunities for students through volunteer and management positions.
The vision of the Outpost is to create a community where everyone has access to enough nutritious food and the tools, including clothes, to be successful in their profession endeavors.
The Project
The intern's main project will be to assist in overseeing the operations of the UT Outpost as it addresses food insecurity and supports students impacted by financial hardships. It will primarily focus on the program's career closet's day-to-day operations.
The Supervisor
Will Ross, Program Coordinator for Student Emergency Services
Things You’ll Do
First and foremost, the intern will contribute their voice -- a student's voice. The UT Outpost strives to meet our students' needs and through this project, the intern will be able to provide valuable insight, feedback, and guidance as the program expands. They will also support planning for the UT Outpost Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 programming plan.
- Support Outpost operations throughout the summer through their assistance with administrative duties, volunteer coordination and supervision, and program development
- Oversee day-to-day operations of the UT Outpost's career closet with some overlap with the food pantry
- Work with student organizations and campus partners to fulfill the mission of the career closet and food pantry
- Recruit, organize, and manage volunteers to assist with operations, drives, tabling, events, promotions, and other program needs
- Assist with creating events and programs for the Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 program planner
- Assist with outreaching to student organizations, academic departments and University divisions with the goal of promoting food and clothing drives.
- Marketing materials: Assist with maintaining website updates and marketing regarding the UT Outpost
- Participate in all required Division of Student Affairs Internship Program cohort activities and assessments
What You’ll Learn
Our program offers an opportunity for interns to work on a fairly new and rapidly growing program. There is a lot for one to learn from and have a major influence on. As a young program, we are still developing practices, assessing our students needs, and adapting to our ever-changing student population. The intern will acquire skills such as creative problem-solving, data-driven problem solving, persuasive writing, and program assessment and implementation.
- Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Exercise sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems. The individual is able to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process, and may demonstrate originality and inventiveness.
- Professionalism/Work Ethic: Demonstrate personal accountability and effective work habits, e.g., punctuality, working productively with others, and time workload management, and understand the impact of non-verbal communication on professional work image. The individual demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior, acts responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind, and is able to learn from his/her mistakes.
- Teamwork/Collaboration: Build collaborative relationships with colleagues and customers representing diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, religions, lifestyles, and viewpoints. The individual is able to work within a team structure, and can negotiate and manage conflict.
Who You Are (Preferred Qualifications)
- Demonstrate an understanding of campus food insecurity and financial related issues among college students.
- Experience partnering with student organizations and experience working with diverse populations
- Ability to exercise a high level of discretion and uphold privacy and confidentiality of student records
- Demonstrated organizational, administrative, listening, and problem solving skills