True Blue staffers find fun, value in helping out at campus events

As the production manager for the Center for the Arts, Beth Patrick can be found behind the scenes at just about every event in the busy venue.

This past year, in her off time, Patrick sought out the opposite side of things, serving as an usher at football and basketball home games. And even though it’s work, Patrick found the experience truly enjoyable.

“It’s nice to be out among the crowd for a change. I even started to recognize people who always come out and get to know them a little bit,” she says. “It gives me a greater appreciation of how I’m connected to the rest of the campus. And it’s just fun.”

Patrick isn’t the only UB staff member who frequently lends a hand during athletics events or at other big productions that require a lot of support. Sue Kurowski, associate athletic director for event and facility operations, coordinates the event crew whenever crowds head into UB Stadium or Alumni Arena. She says staff members make great helpers because they come equipped with knowledge of the campus and the community.

“I’m happy to have them because they provide great service,” Kurowski says of the dozen or so UB employees who regularly participate. She maintains a pool of about 70 people to draw from for events, plus up to 100 students who are ready to pitch in. Event staff, or “green shirts” as they’re called, assist with everything from running the time clock at games, to admittance and bag check, to ushering and general safeguarding of people and spaces. They also act as mentors to the students on hand to work, who, Kurowski says, gain valuable customer service skills from the experience in addition to the excitement of getting involved.

Zack DeMaio, whose full-time job is in international admissions, has been at UB for about 15 years and has worked as event staff for more than five years. He often handles what’s called “credentialing” for restricted areas.

“Basically, I make sure the people there are supposed to be there, and the people who aren’t, aren’t,” DeMaio says. That might mean being on the court, on the field, or right at the stage for shows. The variety of events, and the connections he makes at them, are a big part of what he enjoys about being at UB.

“I really enjoy working with the rest of the event staff,” he says, “and at concerts and shows, I’m often right there close to the performers, so that’s pretty exciting.”

As a former student athlete, Tim Tryjankowski finds working athletics events particularly rewarding. Even as a director within the Honors College and chair of the Professional Staff Senate, he still makes time to work men’s basketball games because they’re too much fun to miss.

“It’s almost like being at an NBA game,” Tryjankowski says. He’s usually assigned to the home team coach, meaning he shadows the coach and team before, during and after the game to shield them from any interruptions.

“I’ll go in and out of the locker room with them, and then when the game starts, I’m right behind the bench. If there’s a post-game interview, I’ll bring the coach over for that,” he says.

With Alumni Arena being a multipurpose facility, where classes and other activities often take place simultaneously with big games, the job can be challenging. Tryjankowski recalls with a laugh a time when, early in his involvement, the team was in the middle of its pregame meeting in the hallway. “A couple of students must have slipped past me somehow. They went right up to the coach and asked him where the racquetball courts were,” he says. “I stepped over and said, ‘He’s a little busy right now; let me help you out.’ And I never let that happen ever again.”

Tryjankowski and the others say their experiences as event staff deepen their appreciation of UB as a truly special community — another homegrown variety of True Blue spirit.

“There’s a warmth that you get when you’re at one of these big events on campus,” Patrick says. “Just being at something cool that all these people have come out for and knowing that this is the place you work — it’s a real feeling of pride.”

Kurowski reminds folks it’s something they, too, can be part of.

“Our next large event that we will need staff for is commencement in May,” she notes. “We’ll be having nine ceremonies over a four-day period, if anyone wants to jump in and work with us.”