One Summer Supervisor FAQ Guide
2017-2017
General Questions
Q: What exactly does the Supervisor position entail? (Conferences, Sports/Youth Camps, Academics)
Answer: It is very common for new people coming into the Supervisor role to be unsure what to expect out of the position. Although the position description describes a lot of the logistical role of the Supervisor, a lot of the understanding of the position comes with time and experience. Overall, the Supervisor will “supervise” a number of Assistants (number depending on what area you are assigned to). For this specific role, you will facilitate 1 on 1 meetings with your direct supervisees weekly or bi-weekly to check in with them both personally and professionally. Conference Supervisors will work directly with the UECS office, the person depending on what conferences you are assigned, to ensure the comfort, safety, and positive experience of the conference guests. You will also be in charge of coming up with shifts for Check-Ins, Check-Outs, and key stuffing shifts to prepare for the conference’s arrival, and communicating this information with the rest of the One Summer Staff. You will work, with your supervisor, with the heads of the conferences to make sure communication is intact and the follow through of the conference arrival is foreseen. Sports/Youth Camp and Academic Camp Supervisors will have similar tasks with their Supervisor role. If a Supervisor is assigned as a key Supervisor, they will be focused on key shifts as well.
Q: What exactly does the Supervisor position entail? (Summer School)
Answer: Summer School Supervisors have a similar but also varying role in comparison. In addition to facilitating 1 on 1s with direct supervisees, Summer School Supervisors will work with the residents that are enrolled in Summer Session classes and on-campus housing to ensure their safety, comfort, and positive experience throughout the summer. Summer School Supervisors may deal with more duty-related incidents, and will be primarily focused on areas of programming, keys, and big check-in/check-outs.
Q: How flexible is the schedule?
Answer: The schedule for a Supervisor is extremely flexible, even more than for the Assistants. You make your own schedule based on your work load and fill out time cards according to the amount of hours you work. This format of scheduling offers a great deal of flexibility but also enforces that Supervisors need to have effective time management skills and hold themselves accountable for their job responsibilities at times.
Q: Will I ever get a day off?
Answer: As stated in the above question, the schedules for Supervisors are very flexible. That means that if you have 35 hours of work to do in three days, you can schedule all your hours in those days and have the rest of the pay period off. Although this makes it so you can take days off without actually requesting them off, it is important to remember that you will have some dates, such as shifts that you are in charge of, that you must be present for. Again, this makes accountability and awareness very important aspects of the Supervisor position.
Q: Can I take a vacation while in this position?
Answer: You most definitely can. As stated in the job description, you are allotted up to 7 approved days off. It is very possible to take a vacation while working this job, it is just important to communicate with your supervisors, supervisees, and your co Supervisor team to make sure your work is covered while you are gone.
Duty Related Questions
Q: Will I get a lot of calls while on duty?
Answer: Most likely, yes. But, you will not always have to do something more than just answer a question when you get these calls. The only people that have the Supervisor on Duty number is the One Summer Staff, and the people necessary for incoming groups in case of an emergency. Usually, the calls you will receive will be Assistants asking for advice on how to handle a situation, but you also may receive incident related calls at some point during your duty shifts. Make sure to keep the phone by you, even when you shower!
Q: Do I have to show up to every incident?
Answer: Although it is encouraged that you go to an incident if the Assistant handling the incident requests, you are not required to show up to every incident. If an incident requires calling the Hall Director on Duty, the Hall Director (HD) will most likely be reporting to the scene to document the situation themselves, and can offer the support you may have been able to provide. If you choose not to show up to an incident, make sure to communicate with the Assistant(s) handling the situation that the HD on Duty will be there shortly, and follow up with the Assistants the next day.
Q: Are any duty shifts (8-4, 3-11, overnight) worse than the other?
Answer: Being on duty is being on duty. The calls that you receive during your duty shift will depend on the time that you are on duty. During work hours, you may receive more questions from Assistants handling situations with guests, whereas on overnight shifts you would more likely receive calls about incidents or needs of guests for sleeping. The split up of duty shifts shall be equitable among Supervisors so that every Supervisor has the same amount of overnight shifts. Although duty can be taxing, try to remember that overnight duty shifts are how you are getting compensated for free housing!
Q: When do I know not to call the HD on Duty about a situation?
Answer: If the situation is involving only conference/sports camps/academic group guests and NOT UConn students and the situation did not call for police or medical intervention, you will most likely not inform the HD on Duty. However, if it is a situation that involved medical or police intervention and is dealing with conference guests, you should still call the HD on Duty to inform them of the situation.
Conference Related Questions
Q: If I am a Summer School Supervisor, will I ever have to deal with Conference Host?
Answer: Yes. You will be cross trained so that you will be able to answer any questions that may come up while on duty that are conference related. It is very important that all of the Supervisor staff are familiar with both the Conference Host and THD systems.
Q: What do I do if I am on duty and there is a questions specifically about a conference that I cannot answer?
Answer: Although it is the hope that you are able to help with any questions that occur while you are on duty, it is understood that that is not reality. This is why the Supervisor team understands the importance of being present on campus during a big conference they are in charge of. You can reach out to the person in charge of the conference to see if they are able to assist you.
Q: What do I do if someone’s conference card is lost?
Answer: There will be “emergency” conference cards that are distributed to the Supervisor in charge of card access. It is important to note that every conference will be given extra cards and extra rooms in case of a need for them. Try to use these, which the Supervisor in charge of the conference will make available in a place that is accessible to everyone, before you use the emergency cards. Make sure to take down the person’s information and inform both the card access professional staff member, the Supervisor on Duty, and the Supervisor in charge of the conference about what steps you took.
Summer School Related Questions
Q: What do I do if I run out of things to do?
Answer: It may seem that Summer School Supervisors have more free time than those preparing for upcoming groups. Although conferences, sports camps, and academic groups have a more constant in and out fluxuation that requires work, Summer School students are constantly present and preparing for future check-ins/check-outs, creating door tags, organizing all the needed shifts for Assistants, and planning programs also take a significant amount of work. If you do end up with free time, ask any of the other Supervisors if they need help with a task that you can assist in.
Key Questions
Q: What does it mean to be a key supervisor?
Answer: Being a key supervisor means you will be designated certain Residential Areas across campus to oversee the transferring, checking, and presence of these keys throughout the summer. They may or may not use the keys to the areas you have been assigned to, so some areas may require more work and/or efficiently than others.
Q: If I am a key supervisor, do I have to come to all my key shifts?
Answer: Although it is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged that you do. For key check shifts, you will be required to double check any problem keys before handing off the list to the HD in charge of keys. It is also important to show Assistants that you are there for any questions and to assist them in your shifts. Remember that you are responsible for those keys!