febuary
00
features
page?
SLI dissatisfaction:
Why the
turnover
rate is so
high and
what can
be done
about it.
alison chu
Imagine a Science and
Math slightly different from the
reality. Imagine that the word
“level” only means being in a
horizontal plane. That Monday
nights after 7:55 check, the next
half hour would not be spent lis
tening to safety concerns, the
PA testing schedule, and the oc
casional wisecrack from the hall
clown. Imagine not running
back froip Happy Half at 10;29
to make check, or not stealthily
sneaking into the lounge to mi
crowave Ramen after midnight.
Imagine being a NCSSM junior,
and not waking up at 8:30 a.m.
on Alt Day for SL101 time man-
agement classes. Imagine
NCSSM without SLTs.
Now imagine a little
longer; think a little harder. Re
alize that along with the absence
of level’s, hall meetings, and
check, there would be another
great void. Imagine NCSSM
without women’s soccer,
cheerleading, food runs, van
loops, MFC’s, I-viz, words of
wisdom, or a sympathetic ear to
listen when the stress of
NCSSM becomes unbearable.
“I feel like the SLI’s are
regarded merely as babysitters.
But we are much more than that.
Without us, there would be no
programs, invites, or food runs.
Many of the best aspects of this
institution - the ability to pm-
sue personal interests and resi
dential life - would not be
operative without us,” said SLI
Todd Gleim.
When
SLI’s accept
this job, they
understand
that they will
serve as the
students’
adopted guard
ians, enforcing
rules, and care
fully observing
their comings
and going’s.
They accept
the job with a
counseling
background,
hoping to offer
the students
the wisdom of a
seasoned
adult.
“When I
was at
NCSSM, I had
a really good
experience, in
cluding residential life. When
the opportunity to work as an
SLI arose, I accepted because I
wanted to offer the same good
experience I had to other stu
dents,” said SLI Ashley Glenn.
The demands of the
job itself are sometimes the
somce of dissatisfaction.
“We are required to
work fifty-two hours a week.
But that time does not include
the times we interact with the
students on a personal level
outside of duty, including
brother/sister hall activities, tak
ing students out, or personal
counseling. Therefore, we usu
ally exceed that fifty-two hour
requirement. And the salary just
does not seem to balance out
the amount of work we do,” sajd
SLI Amy Wheeler. *
One of the most dis
gruntling aspects of the time re
quirement expressed by the
SLI’s is office duty.
willingly engage with students
•outside of those nine hours
when you are actually available
to us outside of class,” said SLI
Valerie Daniels.
SLI’s not only give up
a lot of their personal time, but
their privacy also. Their
lifestyles are often limited by
their job.
“Pets, privacy, and
SU's are commonly seen in the Bryan office doing one of their many offihait activities: office duty.
“Nine hours sitting be
hind a desk is not what I would
like to be doing. I’d rather put
those hours to work for the stu
dents, or more for the school in
helping the students. You [the
students] are why we are here
and sitting behind a desk as a
secretary is not helping you in
the least bit grow and mature.
We can not possibly have an
impact on you when we are
closed in our little glass cage
waiting to be released after nine
hours of day duty. We are not
able or rather are less likely to
pay! Having my apartment on
hall can sometimes be really an
noying because I’ll be trying to
sleep and the noise on the hall
outside will keep me up,” said
SLIKimShankle.
The demands of the
job are not the only reasons
why SLI’s leave. Some leave to
pmsue carrer interest.
“In many ways, the
job is set up as an entry-level
position. There is no seniority
and the pay is not sufficient for
the amount of hours that the
SLI’s put into their job. Usually
serving as a stepping stone be
tween jobs, there is little upward
mobility in the growth advance
ment that NCSSM offers,” said
Wheeler.
Some SLI’s feel a lack
of respect from students, faculty
members, and administration
members.
“If there is one thing I
hope will change, is to increase
the respect the
students have
for SLI’s. When
you review the
things the SLI’s
do for students
and the pres
sures they face, I
think you will see
why SLI’s have
low morale. The
very people you
are charged to
care for are the
people who give
you the least re
spect,” said SLI
Warren Basket.
“As SLI’s,
the administra
tion treated us
with little respect
for who we are
and the job we
did. They did not
support us with
parents and with
other school officials. Finally,
they wanted SLI’s to be glori
fied babysitters, effectively lim
iting the position to one that has
high turnover, low pay, and gen
erally disgruntled employees.
Here you see SLI’s being treated
like children, yet having respon
sibilities of parents. What a
strange dichotomy of expecta
tions the student life adminis
tration has!” said former SLI
Chris Smith.
One of the main concerns
-SLIP8~
Duke~P6
After the awe-inspir
ing press conference, we
moved on to the locker room
interviews. We entered the
locker room and were
stopped dead in our tracks.
The players we had seen on
TV all those times were now
right before us, in larger
than life size. For those of
you who are not aware,
these guys are REALLY tall.
Any previous bravado we
may have had vanished at
the first sight. While we
were just mere high
schoolers, the real reporters
handled the giants with
ease and grace. Numerous
Getting “BufCat NCSSM
amit aravapalli
people were interested in
autographs and quotations.
We were content to gaze in
speechless wonder at the
talented players.
Finally, our night
came to an end. As we rode
back to school, we could
scarcely find the words to
describe the evening. Ex
citement filled the air as
each of us relived his or her
otvn personal experience in
silence. We had touched
the stars and were now re
turning to our day-in and
day-out existence, but noth
ing could make us forget
this once-in-a-hfetime night.
Everyday after school,
many students rush to the PEC
to begin their weightlifting rou
tine. The students at NCSSM
not only possess intellect but
many of them are also avid
weight-lifters. Weightlifting
helps students stay in shape,
train for sports, recover from in
juries, and relieve stress.
Lifting has become a
social activity at NCSSM, reliev
ing stress through a good work
out and conversation. Students
encourage each other to sur
pass their personal goals. Many
friendships are made and
strengthened in the weight
room. Students also help oth
ers by “spotting”. When “spot
ting” students assist lifters, they
are helping prevent injuries by
making sure the lifters are cor
rectly hoisting the weights. “I
try to lift as much as possible
so I can recover from my run
ning injury,” said Senior Erick
Daniels.
Many athletes and stu
dents work on various machines
depending on their target areas.
Some students come to the
weight-room to improve their PA
(physical activity) test grades.
Students work their upper body
to help them increase the num
ber of pull-ups. “Students try
to gradually improve on a
weekly basis, so they will be
ready for PA testing when the
time rolls around,” said Junior
Stephen Rich.
Students enjoy get
ting away from their school
work. “I love to lift weight be
cause it helps me stay in shape.
You can’t become a champion
ship level surfer by being lazy,”
said Junior Thomas Covington.
Along with lifting weights,
Covington follows a strict diet
to stay in peak physical condi
tion.
Weightlifting at
NCSSM continues to be a popu
lar past time. Students improve
their physical condition and
have fun doing it. It enables stu
dents to get away from their
books and work out with their
friends.