Universities struggle to find dining hall workers

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Michigan State University students are frustrated by a deficiency of eating options portion the schoolhouse struggles to find radical to enactment successful eating halls.

MSU is hoping to person a eating unit of astir 2,000. Right now, they person astir fractional of that, according to Kat Cooper with MSU Residential and Hospitality Services.

She says it’s partially due to the fact that students person the enactment to enactment astatine truthful galore places close now.

“We’ve besides seen a inclination of students who are first-time on-campus students not wanting to enactment until possibly their 2nd semester oregon their 2nd twelvemonth due to the fact that they privation to recognize possibly the workload of college, the laic of the land, and truthful present we person 2 first-year classes connected campus,” said Cooper.

MSU temporarily closed eating halls successful the Landon and Shaw buildings for meal and connected weekends past month. More than 800 students person signed a petition asking the assemblage to support Landon Hall unfastened for dinner.

Short staffing is simply a inclination that’s happening astir the authorities and the nation. Central Michigan University says they’re down astir 40 people. Grand Valley State University has much than 500 openings.

Now MSU is asking unit to unpaid successful eating halls. They person besides asked much than 100 Residential and Hospitality Services employees to enactment 8 hours successful the eating halls each week.

“I’ve done everything from cutting desserts to assembling tacos to carving nutrient and serving it up. So it’s been a alteration of pace, and it’s been precise rewarding,” said Cooper.

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