Julia Kent and Whitney Wallerius

COMM 430

10/30/19

A5:

Interview #1:
10/28/19
Lauren Freligh (Undergraduate Student Worker, Administrative Assistant)
Interview Time/length: 10:00-10:30 a.m
Interviewer: Julia Kent

1.) When you were a newcomer to the Center for Academic Service Learning office, what

was strange, different, or unexpected about how things were done here?

● Lauren was not expecting that that this on-campus office would be primarily

made up of undergraduate student workers.

2.) What is different about working in The Center for Academic Service Learning than

working at another office?

● Lauren is struck by how much responsibility is given to the student workers in

this office. The student workers are given a lot of say, and their work in the office

is crucial to the success of the office. A lot of other on-campus office positions for

student workers assign them menial tasks and do not necessarily involve students

in decision-making processes.

3.) Does the team meet outside of the work schedule? (Are there team events? Who attends

them?)
 ● This year, team events are only held during office hours. This ensures full

attendance.

○ This suggests that in years prior, events were held outside of the office.

4.) Are you friends with your coworkers outside of work?

● Yes, Lauren is friends with her coworkers outside of work. However, she emphasized

that some of them have become close because they have been working together longer.

○ This suggests that there is a social difference among those who are office

“veterans” and those who are newer to the team.

5.) What types of individuals would not be happy working here?

● People who cannot work independently would not be happy here.

● There is collaboration on projects and tasks, but it is infrequent. The majority of

one’s work is done on his or her own.

Organization/Productivity:

6.) Are there any quotas or goals you are expected to meet as a service learning advocate?

● Each worker is tasked with a specific service learning initiative, within which

there are many different projects they must work on.

● The idea of “quotas” isn’t really present in the office. Although, everyone has an

individual role with specific tasks that they are expected and required to fulfill.

7.) How do you determine your position and role per shift, do you receive instructions or do

you just know what you need to work on?

 ● Student workers receive and require little instruction day-to-day. They are each

assigned their initiatives at the beginning of the year, which lays out their tasks

and requirements for the rest of the semester.

● Occasionally, the executive staff will assign a project to a student worker on a

given day. While most of their work is set, they are still expected to complete

tasks as they are assigned.

8.) What does a successful employee look like at The Center for Academic Service

Learning?

● A successful student employee will be independent, self-starting and

self-motivated. Because of the nature of the job, student workers must be

able to stay on task and work without much supervision or instruction.

9.) Who do you go to when you need help on the job?

● Lauren typically goes to an executive staff member for help, should she need it.

10.) How does the executive staff lead the team?

● The executive staff completes regular check-ins with the student workers to track

their progress on their initiatives.

● The executive staff is always available and willing to help the student workers,

whenever they need it..

● The executive staff work to facilitate leadership among the student workers,

setting them up for success so they can help and lead one another.

Mission:

11.) How does the organization view their associates and affiliates?
 ● The people the office serves and their community partners are really the life line

of the office.

12.) How do you think affiliates view the organization?

● Lauren thinks that a lot of people don’t know who the office is. They often get

confused with CSA, which can come from similar acronyms for their offices and

service-oriented missions.

● Lauren is also concerned that people think of the office’s mission as second to

undergraduate academic requirements, when both service and academics are

required of undergraduate students.

13.) How would you describe the core values of this organization?

● Do work well.

● Serve community partners.

14.) Can you give me/us examples of when you’ve seen that lived out?

15.) Can you think of any situations in which you experienced something contrary to those

values livedout? Perhaps in some contradictory way?

● Like she mentioned earlier, student workers are given a lot of responsibility and a

lot is expected of them. However, because they are still students, and typically

prioritize their academic career over their job, good work isn’t always able to be

done.

● Lauren sees student workers getting burned out by their job.

16.) If you were to identify groups of [members, employees, staff], how would you group

them?
 ● Lauren would identify the office through the roles of executive staff, undergrad staff, and

grad staff. She would also group them through the people who have been working in the

office for a long time, which is Ella, Thomas, Lexie, Lauren. And then the people who

are new to the office are Amelia, Melanie, Clio, Moriah, and Jessica.

17.) Can you group them a different way, perhaps based on relationships outside of the

organization (church, social, family, age/stage, etc.), when they joined the organization,

and/or friendship?

● A few friend groups within the office that do hang out outside out of the office, she didn’t

specify who these people in the office were.

Interview #2:
10/28/19
Michelle Lapointe (Director)
Interview Time/Length: 1:30-1:45
Interviewer: Julia Kent

1.) I know you’ve been here for a while, however when you were a newcomer to the office, what
was strange, or different, or unexpected about how things were done here?
● Michelle began as an associate director 6 years ago.
● She talked about how she found it strange that it seemed like most of the students weren’t
actually working.
● She also said that it was very casual and there was a lack of accountability

2.) What would you say makes this office different than another office on campus?
● Michelle believes that there is an interesting mix of professionalism as well as a relational
environment. She talked about how some office are either super relational where that is
the focus, or some are very professional and she believes there office is a good mix.
● Also their office gives unique amount of responsibility and ownership to student workers.

3.) Does the team meet outside of the work schedule? (For example are there team events? Who
attends them?)
 ● Michelle talked about they have had events and meetings we before, however since
Moriah is new this year and their direct supervisor, and she is still establishing
relationships so they haven’t really done anything this year.
● However, in previous years she has had the team come over to her house on weekends for
events.

4.) Would you consider yourself friends with your coworkers outside of work?
● Michelle said that she is not really friends with her coworkers in the office outside of
work because she wants to give space, but some of her closest friends work at apu in
other offices.

5.) What types of individuals would not be happy working here?

● She said that people who need and expect a lot of structure and are very reactionary and
only relational.
● She also said people who only work with checklists

6.) What are the major problems that your organization faces?
● One main problem she said they are facing now is the lack of direction institutionally.
● Their office also always struggles with transition as people are always transitioning out as
they graduate.
● She also struggles to create clear goals when she isn't sure what she is shooting at, in
regards to insight of the institution
● They also don’t really have consistency within the office with a lot of overturn which
leaves the work to fall on veterans.

Organization/Productivity:
1.) Are there any quotas or goals you are expected to meet as a worker?
● Each worker manages a number of courses
● They are all expected to keep up on these courses
● They also must complete their department initiatives, as well as projects given from time
to time.

2.) What does a successful employee look like in the office?

● Michelle said that a successful employee is forward thinking, anticipatory, and proactive.

3.) Even though you are director, is there someone you go to when you need help on the job?
 ● Michelle has an executive director who is her boss, so she can go to her if she has any
problems
● She will also go to other friends who work at APU to verbally process.

4.) What is your leadership style with the undergrad workers?

● She thinks that her leadership style is relational and democratic.
● Michelle strives to be empowering to equip people to have what they need

Mission:
1.) How does the office view students/ their community partners?
● They view them as valuable
● They see the students as recipients/benefitters.
● They see community partners as reciprocal and communication and trust is key.

2.) How do you think apu students view service learning?

● She said that she thinks it depends on which class
● Majority of students see if it is something they have to do. They often do not think it is
that bad, but not always eager to do service learning but they put up with it.

3.) How would you describe the core values of your office?
● The offices core values are advocating, collaborating, equipping, and trust.

4.) Can you think of any situations in which you experienced something contrary to those
values lived out? Perhaps in some contradictory way?
● Michelle talked about how at times they struggle with communication and don't prepare
and follow up well, and end up missing the minor details of importance

5.) If you were to identify groups of [members, employees, staff], how would you group them?
professional, grad, and undergrad
● She would group them through student worker who have been working at the office for a
long time and those who are new.
6.) Can you group them a different way, perhaps based on relationships outside of the
organization (church, social, family, age/stage, etc.), when they joined the organization, and/or
friendship?
● Ella, Thomas and Lauren
● Clio and Melanie
● Lexie and Jessica aren’t really connected to anyone outside of the office.

The office is made up of three levels of employees: undergraduate student staff, graduate student
staff, and executive staff. The undergraduate staff are all equals, andt they are under the graduate
intern, who is under the executive staff. However, Michelle L is the head of the office.

This figure shows how long each staff members has been part of the office team. Michelle L has
been there the longest. About half of the student workers have been there since 2018, and the
other half are new to the office this year. Additionally, Moriah, part of the executive staff, is new
to the office this year.
The final diagram depicts friendships within the office among the undergraduate and graduate
staff members. Thomas, Ella, and Lauren are close with one another. Clio and Melanie are close
with one another. Jessica and Lexie are both disconnected from the rest of the team. This is
interesting because Jessica is the graduate intern, which puts her in between the upper staff and
the undergrad staff. It is also interesting that Lexie, who is one of the veteran student workers, is
not very connected to the rest of the office.