Choosing a career path often fills many students wiht uncertainty and anxiety - but the struggle just may have gotten a little easier. The Career Center has announced its intentions to create a Student Advisory Board, which will assist in the organization and improvement of the Center's workshops and other events and thus improve the quality and the level of student involvement in the services the Center provides.Student representatives on the Board can also expect to gain much from their close interaction with the Career Center, as they will be personally working and brainstorming with the Center's staff and the variety of employers that visit campus, said Career Center Director Lee Svete. Svete said there is a need for a permanent channel through which students can participate in the development of the Center's activities."We want a more consistent representation of the student body to provide feedback of our events, employer activities, recruiting and the best methods for reaching students," Svete said. Currently, there are approximately 20 students collaborating with Svete as career assistants. But through the Student Advisory Board, Svete said, students will be able to engage deeply and directly with the Center to better serve students in this career crossroad.Svete said the comments and suggestions the student representatives will provide will also help the Center allocate its resources more effectively, as funding will be spent only on systems that students actually find of assistance.The Center is also looking forward to the insight the Student Advisory Board may provide regarding workshop schedules and locations to increase and facilitate attendance.Svete said the Career Center may consider reintroducing evening workshops to accommodate to students' schedules or host its different events throughout campus, as Flanner Hall - the Center's headquarters - is often a source of inconvenience for students because it's remotely located."These [student] representatives will get an inside look into the many career opportunities available to students and specifically to them," said program director Lori Ann Edinborough. "They will find their work with the Center most rewarding as they network with employers and recruiters and help us serve the student body more effectively."Svete and Edinborough said the Career Center is thinking of selecting approximately 10 students to be representatives, and they are looking for freshmen, sophomores and juniors from diverse backgrounds and interests, who are responsible and willing to commit to the Center's vision."We are a student-centered operation," Svete said. "We are looking for young people who are responsible, creative and who want to help other students with making career choices."The Center expects to select its representatives in early April, after the deadline for turning in applications to sit on the Board was extended to March 24.Junior Brendan Murphy already submitted his application. "The Career Center has helped me out so much in my search for an internship that I wanted to do the same type of thing for students who are going to be in my shoes next year," he said.
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