Jobs: How many students does it take to change a light bulb?

EUGENE, Ore. - How many students does it take to screw in a light bulb? 

At the University of Oregon, the answer is 10.

Call them what you want to call them - the relamp technicians, light bulb changers or student workers - those 10 student workers on the University of Oregon Facilities Services Repair Team are responsible for the lighting in 3.5 million square feet of buildings and 285 acres of campus. 

“The students do the majority of the relamping,” explains Eric Blachly, Repair Team Supervisor. “The biggest reasons we use students is the cost and the value. We’ve gone from $27 a work order with electricians down to about $5 per student worker.”

The students can work up to 20 hours a week. They can set their own schedules and work around classes. 

All the light bulbs are recycled and any harmful materials contained. 

The crew works closely with Environmental Health and Safety to ensure that the light bulb materials are safely recycled and removed.  

In addition to the energy-efficiency that the relampers provide by changing old light bulbs, they now drive electric vehicles.  

“To reduce our carbon footprint, we’ve gone from internal-combustion engines to totally electric,” Blachly said. 

COMING FRIDAY, JULY 8, @ 8 a.m. PST: Care and feeding of Hayward Field