Common Experience Internship
Environmental Justice & Sustainability Specialist
The Common Experience at UCLA seeks to unite the Bruin community by igniting discussion and inspiring action across campus. Students, staff and faculty gather annually to choose a theme which guides exploration and discourse for the community. The selected theme for the 2023-2024 academic year is “Sustainability and Climate Change,” and the selected media is the Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas. Interns of the Common Experience will support the Academics and First Year Experience team within Residential Life to bring this year's theme to fruition through research, implementation, and assessment of the program as we work to create community, and inspire environmentalism and activism at UCLA.
Why we need you
Student’s input and leadership drives the Common Experience Program forward by:
- Voicing ideas and being present to inform program goals, planning, and initiatives
- Allowing for diverse backgrounds and histories to inform the program
- Creating opportunities for student-to-student engagement
- Allowing student voices to guide discussion
- Showcasing driven, passionate, leadership to ensure student body buy-in
The Common Experience is a Residential Life/First Year Experience program that largely influences campus and finds momentum through partnerships. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in building campus relationships with student organizations, departments, and institutional initiatives. We seek an organized, adaptable, and motivated individual like you to ensure the success of our program, with the ultimate goal of building community across campus!
What you’ll do
Under the direct supervision of the Common Experience Coordinator, interns will perform the following tasks:
Community Building & Event Planning
- Promote, develop, and implement active and passive programming and events relevant to this year’s Common Experience theme
- Develop positive, respectful, and personal relationships with Residential Life+ student and professional staff
- Identify campus partners and stakeholders that directly relate to the Common Experience program and theme - offer resources, build comradery, and utilize their expertise.
- Leverage personal knowledge and experience to bring creativity to existing/planned programming
Administration
- Complete assigned reading of the book and other relevant materials to inform work.
- Work independently and efficiently on all task assignments
- Maintain an online archive of all files and work for the Common Experience program to serve as a reference for future years’ interns and staff.
- Meet regularly with the Common Experience Coordinator and affiliates.
- Work a minimum of 7 hours per week in a designated office space; other hours are spent outside of the office delivering presentations and facilitating events.
- Attend training sessions as assigned and weekly staff meetings
Communication
- Develop strong oral and written communication skills for presentations to students, staff, and faculty and through email correspondence.
- Collaborate with peers and interns and other Residential Life/Campus employees (student and full-time) to establish and continuously contribute to the overall success of the Common Experience Program
- Work closely with the staff to understand students’ needs and concerns, and to encourage their involvement in programs
- Establish an effective work relationship with the Common Experience Coordinator, Academics & First Year Experience team, fellow interns, and other stakeholders in order to effectively meet students’ needs
What makes you qualified
Skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to perform assigned functions. Previous environmental justice and sustainability knowledge is preferred, but not required. Additionally, programming experience and leadership experience through participation in a formal organization are deemed helpful.
For this position, candidates must have a 2.3 minimum cumulative GPA at the time of application, hire, and/or rehire (beginning of Fall Quarter of each academic year).
Successful candidates must maintain full-time student status (12 units per quarter) during time of employment.
Looking for candidates with spunk, spirit and spice to grow and share their knowledge to advance the Common Experience Program across campus.
We are prioritizing candidates who can start work over the summer and continue through the school year. Over summer we will offer 30 hours/week and during the school year, we will offer 15 hours/week.
How much you will get paid
Pay is $16.50 but may go up incrementally over summer according to Student 2 classification.
Summer hours (June 20 - Sept 1) is up to 30hours/week. During the school year, up to 15 hours/week. Again, we are prioritizing candidates who can start work over the summer and continue through the school year.
Summer training
Interns are required to attend Fall Training. This begins September 5th, 2023 and ends September 17th, 2023. Housing and a meal plan will be provided from September 4th until roughly September 16th.
If you have questions about this please email FirstYearExperience@orl.ucla.edu.
Hiring timeline
Application opens: May 3, 2023
Application closes: May 19, 2023
Interviews begin: May 22, 2023 (and on a rolling basis)
Offers will go out: May 30, 2023
Start Date: As early as June. We are prioritizing candidates who can work over the summer (summer hours is closer to 30 hours