For Aaron Nagucki, a digital media assistant at the Academic Resource Center, the summer atmosphere on campus helps make the challenge of taking classes and working a job a little easier.

“When I’m working and I get my tasks done, we’re pretty much here to help the teachers with their Blackboard issues,” Nagucki said. “If those aren’t there, then I can focus on any other personal issues I have like homework.”

The work does not stop at the University during the summer–instead, it shifts its focus.

Michelle Simmons, senior associate director at the Career Center, said that the decreased emphasis on academics allows students to invest themselves deeper into their campus jobs.

“If I can be focused on a couple of things versus a lot of different things, then I don’t always feel stressed, like I’m juggling and can’t do a good job on any one thing,” Simmons said.

Instead, students can think about the kinds of skills they are learning in their jobs, which can be useful whether or not they pertain to a particular major, Simmons said.

Simmons advises students to look at the jobs as learning opportunities to build new skills that will look good on a resume and give them a new perspective on how those skills can (or cannot) fit into their career plans.

“I would advise not thinking about, ‘Well, it’s just a summer job,'” she said. “There’s something you can learn from any employment opportunity.”

Nagucki gets roughly the same amount of hours as he does during the school year, and many students often apply for more hours because of their easier schedules, according to Simmons.

Because of decreased student traffic, the Academic Resource Center does not need to help as many students, leaving the staff to use the summer to build tutorials, check and make sure its papers are up to date, and run through various programs and check their validity.

Nagucki, a native of Whitehouse, Ohio, currently lives in Bowling Green, finding it more convenient than commuting from home.

“From an economic standpoint, it’s way more beneficial to stay in town,” he said. “I ride my bike here every day and I’m saving hundreds of dollars a month–otherwise I’d be driving 30 minutes home.”

Other students like Mariah Dallas stay in town without taking any classes.

“I love BG, and I didn’t really want to go home during the summer,” Dallas said.

Dallas, an orientation team leader, said her job is very flexible with workers averaging 25 hours a week.

Andy Alt, assistant dean of students, oversees orientation and said June and July is a busy time for orientation leaders, with 500 to 550 people touring the campus every day for about four weeks.

Alt said that interviews were conducted for the leader positions early last fall, meaning that students had to plan their summer around the job and demonstrated extra commitment by applying.

“These students are very proud of BGSU and excited to be here,” Alt said. “I think they’re excited to be helpful and to teach the next generation of BGSU students what it means to be a Falcon here.”

Helping people become acquainted with the University is a major priority during the summer and not just potential students.

The students who work in the Conference Programs can help provide a good impression of the University as a conference venue, particularly during sports and music camps, Simmons said.

This is particularly true during emergency situations, when workers need to be aware of how to handle them, Simmons said.

“Not only is it bringing outside groups to the University to generate revenue, but [it] also [keeps] those folks safe,” Simmons said.

Simmons said that the decreased number of students means that some jobs, such as residence hall positions, decrease because they are not needed.

Instead, Residence Life hires a group of students to paint residence halls as a way to transition into the next year.

Taking a job in the summer can also help familiarize students with fall jobs, Nagucki said.

“It would be really beneficial for people that just started in the summer,” Nagucki said. “The fact that you can take more time to work on it during the summer helps you be faster in the fall.”