By: Vanessa Alcala
Tyler Phillips gets ready to clock in at the Russell Union as an Audio Visual Manager. Phillips is a junior Interdisciplinary Studies major who is going into her third year at this job.
Phillps strikes up a conversation with a coworker as she logs into the computer for the day. Today, she has multiple events she has to set up.
When she logs into the computer, she checks to see who is working on each event. Her job is to transport sound carts, meet with event planners and make sure the staff has everything they need.
After setting her keys on the counter, Phillips reaches for a schedule. The Russell Union prints out daily schedules with all details of the event to see what equipment is needed.
Phillips flips through the schedule, planning out her day. "I take mental notes on what I need to do so I'm not running around all day," she said.
In addition to the paper schedules, the Russell Union also has a whiteboard to lay out the events each day. It's color-coded by location to make it easier on the staff.
Throughout her time working at the Russell Union, Phillips has held multiple positions. She started as just a student assistant before getting promoted to Audio Visual Team Lead. Now, she's worked her way up to Audio Visual Manager.
Scattered around the Russell Union, you will find daily schedules for students to refer to. This helps students become more aware of what's going on.
Starting her first task of the day, Phillips moves to the Russell Union Theater to do a sound check for an event coming up. She logs into the computer to make sure everything is connected for the microphone to work.
In the back closet of the Russell Union Ballroom, they store chairs and various equipment. Phillips says this is where they keep equipment for sound carts, cords and more.
Phillips looks through a bucket of extension cords to see which one is needed. She says they have different cords for specific sound carts, so it's important to look for the right ones.
Once she finds the right cord, she sets it onto the sound cart to transport it. This is for an event at Sweetheart Circle.
After rolling the cart outside, Phillips starts to roll it into a van. They use this university van to transport materials that are too big to fit on a golf cart.
After rolling up the cords, Phillips carefully places them in a crate before moving them into the van.
Phillips goes inside to retrieve another sound cart for the event. This one is typically heavier and harder to move, so she likes to do this one last.
Once she pushes the cart outside, she begins brainstorming the best way to take it apart to make sure it fits in the van. This cart breaks down into four different parts.
Phillips ducks into the van, pulling the sound cart in front of her. "It's really hot and this is my least favorite thing to move," she said.
As she walks into the building again, Phillips radios her boss to let him know everything is ready to go.
Phillips waits to hear back from her boss, making sure there's not anything else she needs to do. All campus departments use these radios on different channels to communicate with each other.
Nearing the end of her shift, Phillips double-checks the schedule to make sure she has done everything she needed to. She quickly clocks out for the day before heading to a meeting.
