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Student Employee of the Year
She's tops with tough customers

By Hope Green

Getting into the college of one's choice is no doubt cause for celebration. But for many families, that joy is tempered with anxiety as they await the results of a second competition: the quest for financial aid.

	Nicole Cottetta (ENG'02) advises a student. Photo by Fred Sway

As a work-study student in BU's Office of Financial Assistance, Nicole Cottetta has fielded hundreds of phone calls from prospective freshmen and their parents. Federal regulations limit the aid packages schools can offer, and like most compassionate people, Cottetta hates to deliver bad news.

"In many cases we're dealing with huge amounts of money and the question of whether a student can or cannot come to the University based on what we're able to give them," she says. "Some of the callers are really upset."

Tact and diplomacy are among the customer-service skills that have earned Cottetta (ENG'02) the title of Student Employee of the Year. A biomedical engineering major, she has worked in the office since she was a freshman.
From the time she joined the staff, people took note of Cottetta's cheerful dispatch of tasks most mundane -- filing, faxing, and the like -- and her talent for organization. After an intensive semester-long training session, she became a peer counselor, a post that entails staffing the front reception desk and answering phones.

"When Nicole was promoted to this position, her job talents soon became apparent," writes Renee Williams, assistant director of customer service, in a letter to the award committee. "She quickly took on other responsibilities that went above and beyond her job description. She would ask other staff in the office for extra work or special projects. Nicole always completed these tasks in a timely and complete fashion."

Now a senior and one of three peer coordinators, Cottetta supervises and trains the other work-studies. She helped design a contest where teams of employees earn points toward a prize for showing initiative or working outside their regular hours. The top-scoring team wins tickets to a Sox game at Fenway.

Lately she has been prepping the students to serve as hosts when BU's schools and colleges hold their April open houses for admitted freshmen. The campuswide event, writes Williams, "takes an incredible amount of organization and attention to detail. Thankfully, Nicole excels in these two areas."

Cottetta, who is interested in biomechanics and orthopedics, plans to pursue an MBA for technology professionals. She aspires to become a liaison between physicians and designers of medical equipment.
"I could use the people skills I've learned here," she says.

Cottetta will be recognized at an April 12 awards luncheon in the GSU Faculty Dining Room, where she will receive a $500 savings bond and a plaque. Her nomination has been forwarded to a statewide competition sponsored by the Northeast Association of Student Employment Administrators.

Brian Sirman (CAS'02) and Mira Stanchak (CAS'03) will also be recognized at the event for their service as student employees. Both will receive the University's Outstanding Achievement Award, which includes a $100 savings bond and a certificate.

Sirman is a damage assistant in the Office of Housing. He assists with inspecting campus residences, and processes bills issued by the office for damage to furniture or rooms. "His accumulated knowledge and his strong listening skills enable him to find solutions to nearly any problem posed, and to respond accurately, respectfully, and confidently to confused, angry, or otherwise challenging inquiries from parents or students," write Jeanne Sevigny, manager of resident support services, and Stacey Kielman, a program coordinator, in their nominating letter.

Stanchak is the student recycling coordinator at the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Besides the BU recycling logo and several posters, she has created the University's new recycling Web site, www.bu.edu/recycling.
She has also promoted her ideas about recycling at several organized events at the University. "Mira's outstanding enthusiasm at these events has proven to be contagious," writes Pamela Flattich, an administrative manager at the office. "Students now call our office inquiring about how they can contribute to campus recycling and the cleaning of the Charles River."

The Student Employee of the Year Award is administered by the Student Employment Office. Its staff narrows the candidates to 12, then circulates the nominations to 5 final judges, all of whom are full-time University employees.

The Student Employee of the Year Award is presented in conjunction with National Student Employee Week, April 7 to 13. Supervisors are encouraged to recognize their work-studies with a token of appreciation.

5 April 2002
Boston University
Office of University Relations