Shortly after the all the moving boxes and the bright orange Oriflamme shirts are gone, various student organizations will begin to recruit new and returning Saint Louis University students. SLU boasts 150 student organizations, and with the exception of the groups affiliated with Park’s College of Engineering, Aviation & Technology, the John Cook School of Business and club sports, one man serves them all.
“They call me the moneyman,” David Young, Coordinator of Communications for SLU Student Life said. As “the moneyman,” Young is in charge of finances and acts as a bridge between students and staff members.
A 2003 graduate of SLU, Young is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his arrival in St. Louis. Originally from the Washington D.C. area, Young said he has greatly enjoyed his relocation to the St. Louis area.
“I love the people and the Midwest values,” Young said.
Another thing that Young said that he enjoys about St. Louis is the variety-something he also looks for in food. He can be found at restaurants like Triumph Grill, Sen Thai, The King and I, The Best Steakhouse and Buffalo Wild Wings, with its athletic-themed atmosphere.
“I love sports and they’ve got like a bajillion TVs in there,” he said.
In fact, sports are a big part of Young’s life; he has worked for the X Games four times as part of ESPN’s hospitality department.
“I’m not really into extreme sports, which is the weird thing,” Young said. However, he said that he had a favorite X Gamer.
“I stopped everything I did just to watch Shaun White when he would snowboard,” he said. “He’s the king of X Games.”
Along with enjoying the world of extreme sports, Young worked for the St. Louis Cardinals from May 2003 to Dec. 2004.
“I really enjoyed the work and had a great time there,” Young said.
In January 2005, Young began his career at his alma mater, SLU, serving as the Senior Financial Assistant for the Busch Student Center. Since then, Young says he has loved working in an environment filled with new beginnings for students.
“I love being around kids and giving them the chance to learn outside the classroom,” he said. Though Young still believes in classroom learning, he understands that a lot of education takes place outside the lecture halls.
“Being on Student Activities Board taught me a lot about everything,” he said. During his time at SLU, Young was also the president of the Black Student Alliance and won the intramural flag football team championship three times.
Young believes that student organizations offer a way of relaxing and unwinding, especially with the conversion from the Busch Memorial Center to the modern BSC.
“It really gave students more opportunities for programming and meeting space,” Young said.
With the space available at the BSC, Young aspires to continue helping students meet new people and enjoy their time at SLU, considering he was in the same position only a few years ago.
“I really want to give back, especially as an alumnus,” Young said.
Though Young can no longer peruse the Quad and sign-up for the student organizations, he can know that his efforts greatly impact the lives of old and new students. With that, Young is definitely the man. In fact, he’s the “moneyman.”
