Even though Sarah Moyns has only been at UNC Charlotte since November of 2007, her significance here has made it seem much longer. Coming from Eastern Michigan University as a graduate assistant, where a new student center was built during her time there, she was able to bring with her experience and knowledge of the impact.
When she came to UNC Charlotte, her job was to not only supervise the building managers over in the Cone Center but also coordinate the whole transition process to the Student Union.
She oversaw everything from student employment, to the grand opening, the actual move, and looking at how they were going to staff the building. Almost two years later, Moyns had gone from being the assistant director for transition and building management at the Cone Center, to now the assistant director of administration and support services in the Student Union.
Moyns’ first mission as assistant director at the Cone Center was to develop ten different teams. Along with a group of core team members, they created teams that focused on budget, building operations, grand opening, marketing, mission statement, moving, policy, student employment, as well as technology.
The teams each consisted of eight to twelve faculty, staff and student volunteers, were established in April 2008. Every two weeks a core meeting was held with a leader from each team, as well as other major players, to discuss the progress and what still needed to be done.
Out of the ten teams, Moyns oversaw the building operations, moving and student employment team. She was in attendance at a majority of the core meetings; she normally had a complete overview of what progress was being made with all the teams.
These specific teams focused on how the building was going to be staffed; and how it would look. They also designated a specific organized moving day for an easy transition from the Cone Center to the new Student Union. Next month a conclusion meeting will be held to wrap up the long, yet successful transition. Although, Moyns reinforced that “this is an on going process.”
Now a month and a half into her new position in the union, Moyns’ list of roles is enough for three people. Nevertheless, she remains people-friendly and upbeat. Her new position entails continuing to monitor the transitional process for an estimated eight months, at least until all the retail stores and businesses open. She also still meets with core team member once a month, to receive updates and statistics from Auxiliary Services and to see where they can go from here.
At the Student Union, Moyns has also comprised the role of overseeing the student employment process. In this new role she screens and reviews applications, then refers them to a supervisor, who is looking for specific qualifications or skills. Overseeing the student employment also means playing a role in the student employee training. Moyns is working on having a monthly workshop for the students, with the main goal being for students to gain work knowledge and experience in their respective field.
In her current position, Moyns has been able to see first hand the impact the Student Union has had on students. While she was the in Cone Center, she oversaw 45 to 50 student employment positions; this has now jumped to 130 students in the Student Union. The increase is due to the more job opportunities available in the larger building, as well as the longer hours.
Students have definitely played a major role in the Student Union; with not only more job opportunities but also the priority that student organizations have. Since the Student Union is primarily funded by student fees, student organizations have first priority when it comes to office and meeting space. If a faculty or staff member wants to reserve a space, reservations have to be made within a 30-day window, to guarantee and student organization or club does not need the space.
Moyns expressed that students “have really embraced the building like (she) had hoped.” The versatility of the building has also provided endless opportunities for the students.
Last week, Moyns noticed a group of about ten students playing video games on a projector that they had brought along with their game system. Even though this is an unexpected us of the building, “This is exactly what we wanted to see in the building,” said Moyns. Factors like these have created quite a satisfaction for the groups that have worked so hard for nine to ten years. Moyns has witnessed seeing everything come to life and the embracement everyone has had, has succeed everyones expectations.
She enjoys nothing more than coming in at 8:00 a.m. everyday and seeing students already filling the chairs, studying for classes and seeing the line at Crown Commons. This satisfaction makes her many job roles that much more rewarding.
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