Month: February 2018

Dixie State University offers job opportunities for students on campus and through the Work Study Program.

Student Employment Specialist Cheryl Brandt said there are usually 10 to 15 total jobs on campus from custodial work to dining services. Recently, Career Services has started using Handshake, a website that connects all DSU students with employers, including on-campus employers, in their hiring process.

“We’re trying to educate the employers on campus to go through Handshake for their needs,” Brandt said.

Brandt said she usually posts availabilities on campus for grounds work, custodial work, mail services, dining services and IT, which are the main employers who offer student positions.

McKenzie Nelson, a junior psychology major from Seattle, said she wanted an on-campus job because of the convenience. She began as a technical writing intern for Career Services and is now assistant internship coordinator. Nelson is also an intern and DSU chapter president for Oncotelligent, a non-profit organization that focuses on cancer research. Nelson created the first chapter of Oncotelligent, and her template is being used as a tool for new chapters to develop internationally.

“I definitely owe this to me working in the Career Center,” Nelson said. “I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t be looking for on-campus opportunities.”

Nelson said DSU and its resources have helped her become a critical part in helping Oncotelligent grow and find support on university campuses, and she recommends seeking on-campus positions to every student.

Brandt said although there are a variety of on-campus jobs available, most of the opportunities on campus are through a federally-funded program called Work Study. Work Study positions are offered to students who receive financial aid, are in good academic standing, taking at least nine degree-seeking credits, are passing 67 percent of all attempted credits and demonstrate need.

Lindsey Watson, financial aid Work Study coordinator, said this year there are 186 individual Work Study positions.

“It is very convenient for [students] to work on campus,” Watson said. “Our departments are required to work around [students’] school schedule; they cannot schedule them during class time.”

Work Study positions are available by department, and the type of positions and number of positions fluctuate based on the budget for the year.

Work Study offers a variety of jobs, which may include teacher’s assistant positions, Testing Center jobs, or positions in the DSU library along with more opportunities.

“We have an America Reads position where students will actually go to elementary schools to tutor in reading and math,” Watson said. “We also have our educational department where we have students help with the preschool.”

Watson said Work Study offers students a college-friendly job with potential to build on social, professional and communication skills.

Positions can be found on DSU’s financial aid site, and availabilities for the next year will open up July 1.

DSU also offers students the option to participate in Cooperative Work Experience, which is a program that offers college credit for working. The number of credit hours a student can earn will be based upon the number of hours they work and requires a weekly meeting with a Work Coop adviser. More information can be found at Career Services on the fifth floor of the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Building.

Students may apply directly on Handshake for their convenience. They can also reach out to DSU’s departmental career coaches for more assistance on career research, resume review, and interview preparation. Appointments with career coaches can be made at Handshake.

“My artwork is my life.”

World-renowned artist Djibril N’Doye meant these words literally and metaphorically.

N’Doye has an exhibit of personal works at the Dixie State University North Plaza gallery in honor of Black History Month called “Art in The Depth of Pyrography on Wood.” Dennis Martinez, a DSU art professor, reached out to N’Doye after being introduced to his work through Left of Center Art Gallery and Studio, an art gallery that commonly showcases work by women and artists of ethnic minority backgrounds.

“I really love his pieces,” Martinez said. “I thought they were different, more unique than others, and [he had] a nice, strong collection of work.”

N’Doye values his art strongly because he creates pieces with an unusual medium, the subject matter is sentimental, and because his artwork has helped him grow and become the artist he is today.

N’Doye’s wood burning technique is inspired by his home village. One thing N’Doye will never forget about his farming village in his home country of Senegal is the smell in the air, the nearby crops, the huts where they lived, and their traditional food cooking. 

One day, when his mother was finished cooking on an open fire, N’Doye observed a piece of wood that was still burning. He realized he could control how the flame burns the wood. Because he enjoyed drawing with a ballpoint pen as it didn’t allow for erasing of any markings, he decided to begin to practice with wood burning as he couldn’t erase it either. His method of wood burning would always remind him of the organic smell of his village — one he can’t get in any industrialized society.

“That was the birth of my technique,” N’Doye said. “To maintain my history, I picked a medium that people don’t [usually] work with.”

All of N’Doye’s pieces in the gallery at DSU are wood burnings, and some are framed by pieces of rope. When he was a child, N’Doye would help his mother cut pieces of rope so she could boil and dye them. She would then create intricate wigs with these fibers by braiding them with beads and shells and sell these wigs to other women in the village.

“I decided to incorporate this rope as a thank you to my mother,” N’Doye said. “I never studied art at school, so her affection is my school; the way she loved me, the way she respected me, the way she taught me, she was my school.” 

Along with the materials the pieces are made of, the images portrayed in the gallery hold meaning to N’Doye and all come with a unique story. One featured piece in the gallery entitled “Disparity” depicts a group of women some of which are holding bowls filled with seeds and others with empty bowls. 

This piece is meant to highlight the difference between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in the village, but also the camaraderie between all the women, regardless of what they have. For N’Doye, the piece emphasizes the fluidity of material wealth and how it can come and go unexpectedly.

Another piece, featuring a boy playing with a slingshot, serves as a metaphor for N’Doye: no one knows where they are going, but everyone has a purpose and a place where they are destined to land similar to a rock in a slingshot.

N’Doye’s artwork has led him to becoming a worldwide recognized fine artist. His pieces have been featured in various art shows around the U.S. and the world. They’ve also been featured in various films and TV productions such as the 2006 Doug Atchinson film “Akeelah and the Bee” and American drama series “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Through juried art shows, N’Doye is able to continually improve as an artist and share his view of the world with others. N’Doye believes his lengthy history in visual arts and experiences with art shows has assisted him in being as recognized as he is today.

“It’s always a real honor to have someone of his caliber, professionalism and skill level to display because it encourages students,” said Glen Blakley, professor of ceramics at DSU. “[His pieces] are rich with symbolism and emotion, and I’m really impressed with him.”

Blakley said featuring an artist like N’Doye will inspire students not only in mastering their craft, but in general.

“He’s a fantastic artist, and he’s one of the nicest, most pleasant people you’ll ever meet,” Blakley said. 

For N’Doye, art is something that is beneficial to the world as a whole, regardless of one’s background or nationality.

“I don’t do art just because I am black or because a black [art] event is taking place,” he said. “To me, I don’t want to lock myself to a culture or a race like I belong there. I feel that I belong to the world.”

N’Doye’s next exhibit will be held at Left of Center Gallery starting June 1.