Student employment on campus has seen a slight decline for this fall semester. In recent years, Housing and Food Services has altered the serving structure for the dining halls which, in return, has affected the employment structure.

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“Generally, students that work at the dining hall tend to be resident students, only because it is located closer to where they live. Bruno's, because of their hours of operation, tends to cater more to commuter students,” said Steve Miller, Associate Director of Housing and Food Services.

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With the slight decline in overall enrollment, as well as students living on campus, “I think it has some effect,” Miller began. “I think there are more opportunities for students outside of Housing and Food Services, whether it be work study or other wage positions.”

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Although it is Housing and Food Services, the team does offer opportunities for students to do work that may be more in line with their major. There are work study, as well as internship positions for students to work in areas including marketing, advertising and finance.

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“It is more beneficial because I get to see social media marketing and advertising from a business perspective, and I also get to be in charge of an organization’s media which is something I could do for a career,” said senior communication student Nick Crandall, who is working as the Social Media and Marketing Intern in the fall for Housing and Food Services.

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Although the majority of the work is serving food to students, Housing and Food Services tries to work with students to see how they can offer jobs that relate to different majors, making it more beneficial to students in the long run compared to working a dish room shift at Dobbins.

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“In the past, we have hired students to do digital media projects for us, work with promotional materials and they have also done different computer projects for us,” said Miller.

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Having fewer students employed at Dobbins, for example, makes it much more difficult for the rest of the staff. But, regardless of the employment level, “Every day our staff goes out and we put out the best product that we can for our students, as well as our other customers,” Miller stated.

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There are benefits to being a student employee beyond the pay. Dobbins provides free meal tickets to students for picking up certain shifts, particularly breakfast shifts that are understaffed due to early classes. Students are also allowed to buy any meal for just two dollars, one hour before or after their shift.

 

There is also room for advancement when working for Housing and Food Services. Students are given raises after a certain length of employment, if their work has been to standard. The starting rate for Dobbins is nine dollars per hour, and another raise comes along with the opportunity for students to be promoted to floor supervisors or managers.

 

Housing and Food Services, as well as other employment teams, are always willing to work with students around their schedule. Schedulers will customize shifts to fit between classes or in other gaps during the day.

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Students can also learn a lot and make new friends. “One of the largest benefits I have heard from students is most of the friends they had while they were in college they met through student employment,” said Miller.

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Students looking to make some money, make friends or build their resume are encouraged by Miller to become a student employee, whether with Housing and Food Services, or elsewhere on campus.