Forces combine to keep games and larger University events running
By Nic LaPonte
Those who make it their job to ensure that things function flawlessly around campus are rarely seen. From setting up events like the West Coast Conference and some of the high school tournaments which are held here, to organizing halftime games and promotions, Physical Plant, the Events Department and the Athletic Department are the behind the scenes folks who ensure that life on The Bluff functions smoothly, sports-wise.
For a sporting event as large as the West Coast Conference basketball tournament, the demands on the resources of these event workers are daunting. Everything from the seating plan to the setup of the chairs themselves is handled by someone from either the Events staff or the Athletic Department. The workload for full-time employees can range from that of a part-time job to that of a full-time job, with hourly or a set salary.
For the layperson, most athletic events appear as though out of the mist, and different games just run themselves. According to senior Steve South, an intern/marketing assistant who works for Tricia Miller at the Athletic Department, the behind-the-scenes aspect is quite different.
"With my job, I only show up two hours before a game," South said. "That two hours is usually spent preparing the game's time-out scripts, finding contestants [for the halftime events], and making sure everyone involved knows what's going on, and anything else that needs to be taken care of at the last second."
Other event staffers put in even more hours toward the successful execution of an athletic event here at UP.
"There are people that have already been there hours before I show up, getting the Chiles Center prepared for an event," South said.
Bigger events naturally take more preparation for crews who work at the Chiles Center. There are additional tasks, like coordinating with the news media and their technical staff, crowd control and parking, and the landscaping and decoration touch-ups so the school can look its best.
"For the Athletic Department and the rest of the University, I imagine it took tons of hours and long work, days to prepare for the WCC Tournament. The Athletics, Physical Plant, and Events staff all had a lot of tasks in front of them in order to get ready for the tournament," South said.
Student workers in all departments of Physical Plant and the Athletic Department have different reasons for working there. Junior A.J. Buchele, part-time events crew staffer at Physical Plant enjoys the work because of its visible nature.
"It's a nice change from school work, you get to see the results of your labor around campus and it gives you a different perspective on the University," Buchele said.
South likes his job because of some of the side benefits.
"The people I work for and work with are fun and interesting, and we get to watch [Division I] college sports while we work. You also meet a lot of people on the job, who you otherwise wouldn't have," South said.
The department staff also, has a busy job coordinating and managing larger events. Tricia Miller, the athletic marketing director here at UP, was in the thick of things when preparing for the WCC.
"My students, we were coordinating the cheer teams, pep bands, sound booth, those types of things. It's a lot of running around," Miller said.
Though the normal staff and facilities at the Chiles Center are accustomed to handling typical events, sometimes staffers have to get creative when dealing with large events.
"We needed extra help, ASUP volunteers were a great help at the ticket booth and at other places," Miller said. "We had to get creative with our limited space to make everything work. We used the weight room as a V.I.P. area, that was funny."
