/ GRADUATION GUIDE / THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Wide range of options available for new graduates
BY CLAIRE MCINERNY editor@kansan.com
As some seniors are preparing for jobs and planning their lives after school, some students are experiencing a different scenario: the end of college.
er. One opportunity that enables students to make that happen is through Teach for America. Teach For America is a program that allows recent college graduates to teach in public schools in low-income communities. The assignment lasts for two years.
Wiechman spent his two years in Saint Lucia doing community development. He helped a farmers' cooperative develop a grant proposal to get funding for a composting project from the United Nations and also taught reading and music at a school.
Four yea degree late
a way to prolong having to find a job, but rather look at it as a way to find new opportunities and new ways for students to use their passions. She said a lot of politicians who now work in Congress were in the program and are now fighting for education rights.
--summer, Darin Lutz, owner of Alpha Roofers LLC, 2736 Oregon St., said that it is wise to work on the roof early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the peak heat hours.
The Peace Corps was an attractive option for Wiechman because
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13. 2011
PAGE 6
Jobs have extreme highs and lows
BY BRITTANY NELSON
bnelson@kansan.com
Mike Gumnoe/KANSAN Tory Roberson works in below-freezing temperatures at On the Rocks, 1818 Massachusetts St.
Whether spending hours in a 30-degree freezer or standing over a 400-degree stove, temperature can have a major effect on people As blasting heat continues in Lawrence, workers who slave away in extreme weather discuss the pros and cons of working in uncomfortable environments.
HOT: ROOFING
"It's smart to wear long sleeves, pants, a hat and light-colored clothing to protect yourself from the sun," Lutz said. In the summer, Lutz said the workers keep water and Gatorade jugs on the ground and take frequent breaks.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Working atop a roof under a 100-degree sun is probably one of the most blistering jobs in the
"We had one incident where a man didn't eat all day and got a little sick from the heat, but we've never had someone have a heat stroke," Lutz said.
Roofers usually work March
through November, or as long as weather permits.
COOL: ICE CREAM
Kaylee Daily puts on her sweatshirt every time she has to go to the back freezer at Cold Stone Creamery, 647 Mass. St.
In the summer months, it doesn't get that cold unless you go into the freezer," Daily said. Cold Stone has three freezers, one that is 20 degrees below zero, one for backup ice cream that is two degrees below zero and the last freezer for ice cream that is about to be served is at around 3 degrees.
HOT: GARBAGE COLLECTION
"Workers go through an extensive training program. People can fall into compacts, trucks have car accidents and people on the back step get run into by other cars," Pruett said.
With safety gear and precautions, trash staff members take,many steps to ensure their safety,and the summer months are more uncomfortable than the winter,so the staff is supplied with plenty of water and Gatorade, Prruett said.
Craig Pruett, once a trash loader and now the operations supervisor at Lawrence Trash and Yard Collect, 1140 Haskell Ave., said that loading trash can be fun and it is a great job for people who love to be outside and be mobile around the city.
and be mobile around the city.
Although it may be an enjoyable ride, trash pickup is the ninth most dangerous job in the U.S., according to businessinsider.com. Last year, a man was killed in Leavenworth from working on the trash truck. He hopped off the step and the driver accidentally backed up over him.
Charles Atherton, assistant meat marketing manager at Dillons Grocery, 1015 W 23 St., said that after 12 years of working in the meat department he is used to the cold.
COOL: MEAT HOOKS
partment he is used to the coat. "The meat has be stored 40 degrees or under otherwise it'll go bad," Atherton said. People wear jackets and warm clothes, but he usually wears a T-shirt, he said. There are other physical dagers besides cold, though. He has more than a decade of meat cutting under his belt and no problem with his hands of joints as of now, but Atherton said arthritis is inevitable.
"My boss, who's been doing this for 30 years, just had carpel tunnel surgery. There's a high percentage of arthritis in this line of work." Atherton said.
Arthritis aside, Atherton said his favorite part of working in the meat department was the camaraderie with people.
HOT: CHEF
Standing over a taming saucepan or pulling fresh bread out of a 400-degree oven is no sweat for Rick Martinez, executive chef at Free State
Brewery, 636 Mass. St.
"We try to keep air moving, we give people frequent breaks and we offer neckbands with ice to keep them cool." Martin said.
Cooks also have an incentive to work hard during the hot months. Martin said that if the heat index outside goes beyond a certain point, cooks get a bonus in their hourly wage.
"The cooks get paid more so it makes the heat a little better," Martin said.
With 25 to 30 different menu items at Free State Brewery and an incentive to work hard, working with extreme temperatures is not as bad as people think, Martin said.
COOL: LIQUOR CAVE
Working in a room with hundreds of stacked beer and liquor boxes and music blaring in the background is many college students' dream. Tory Roberson works in the beer cave at On the Rocks, 1818 Massachusetts St. for about eight hours a day, five days a week.
FREE LEGAL ADVICE
DUI? MIP? SPEEDING TICKET?
NEED TAX ASSISTANCE?
LANDLORD DISPUTE?
we'll help you out. we're free confidential, and on campus.
LSS
"My favorite part is the stereo that just got installed in the beer cave and working at my own pace," Roberson said.
LEGAL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS
312 Burge Union * 864-5654 * Jo Hardesty, Director
Contributing to Student Success
In the mornings, the beer cave temperature is set at 28-30 degrees and in the afternoon heats up to 36 degrees because of customers coming in and out of the cave, he said.
Roberson said he was used to the temperature but sometimes wears a hat and long sleeves.
"I get sicker than normal in the winter because the heater is on in