The hourly wage for student employees at Messiah is only a little less than what Oprah’s making per hour (in case you can’t see the sarcasm radiating off your laptop screen, I’m being sarcastic), and the Office of Sustainability offers the same pay as most other departments on campus. I am going to argue, however, that most of your earnings from a job within the Office don’t come in the form of money (although the pay is a nice little bonus). We have a number of available positions for the spring and summer that I’ll highlight in this blog post, so if you are in need of a job this year or next, read on.

organics collection workers

When you dump the crust from your Falcon panini in the compost collection bin, or when you empty your (stanky) green compost bucket at the Grantham Community Garden, where does it go next? Pete Spadero, Matt Mahoney, Ryan Lago, and Scott Brittingham are the fine gents who actually transport all the your food and other compost goodies from various collection sites around campus to the back 40. So yes, sometimes this can be a smelly job. But you get to drive around campus in a vintage white truck, spend your working hours outside (as opposed to cooped up in an office somewhere or in the windowless dishroom of Lottie), and work closely with a small group of people. Another benefit: you can learn more of the ins and outs of composting, and develop the skills to compost on your own when you leave Messiah. We have 2 open composting positions for the spring semester. To see the full job description: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/7498

summer garden employees & community garden coordinator

Whether you are an avid Wendell Berry reader and are currently growing a small organic garden on your apartment windowsill OR still aren’t quite sure how to tell a zucchini and a cucumber apart, there is always room to learn more about gardening and food production. Our summer garden employees are responsible for the Grantham Garden, so you will learn how to plant, what to plant when, what to plant where, effective pest management techniques, team building, and more. This job is perfect for someone who wants to work hard and get their hands dirty, work outdoors, learn more about organic practices, and spend the summer bonding with the team, the chickens, and the vegetables. I asked Olivia Mingora, a junior at Messiah who worked in the garden this past summer, why someone should apply to work in the garden. She responded, “People should apply to work in the garden because they are interested in working outside and taking care of something that is precious to this earth and campus. It’s a lot of hard work, and you put in a lot of hours, but it is definitely worth it.” Also, word on the street is that there is a lot of laughing, dancing, and singing mixed in with all of the daily work. We have not yet opened the applications for our summer garden positions, but please keep this option in mind as you begin to plan for summer 2016. Additionally, we have a Community Garden Coordinator position open for the spring. The main responsibilities of this position are to prepare for the summer growing season. Ideally, we would like someone to fulfill this position who is willing to commit to working over the summer as well. If you are not able to commit to the summer however, and are still interested, you will still be considered. Check out the application here: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/7496

spring intern

Hey, that’s me! I have been so blessed by my internship with the Office of Sustainability this fall. Because the Office is involved in so many different projects in a variety of areas on campus, my internship was pretty diverse. A typically week for me included (depending on the season): researching, interviewing, and writing for the blog; attending meetings with on-campus partners; writing mass emails; event planning; coordinating teams of people; and assisting the sustainability coordinator & sustainability director. A spring internship is available for credit (3-4 credits; 8-14 hours/week). Check out the application here: https://messiah.joinhandshake.com/jobs/249961

Our dream for the Office of Sustainability is to incorporate students from a variety of majors and class years. If you are passionate about people and the Earth, even if you are not a biology or sustainability major, please consider applying. Feel free to email me (Alisha: as1635@messiah.edu) or Brandon (Sust. Director, bhoover@messiah.edu) if you have any questions about the positions.

Posted on December 8th, 2015 by as1635@messiah.edu
Filed under: Fall 2015