Elizabethtown College students have noticed a lot of changes pertaining to Dining Services this semester. These changes largely stem from a staffing shortage that has forced Dining to have shorter hours for some food places on campus, give student workers longer hours and to tragically shut down the Jay Truck.

Dining Services Assistant Manager Austin Benner confirmed the staffing shortage in an interview. “There is a severe staffing shortage,” Benner said. “Luckily since Etown is a smaller school, other departments have seen our struggles and have offered a helping hand. We have coworkers from other departments coming in after their shifts to [help].”

“The Fresh Nest is now only open 3 to 8 p.m.,” digital media productions and graphic design major Sarah Moscoso said. “And the Jay Truck is not open either, so it has been disappointing for me and my friends.”

To put it in perspective, the Fresh Nest used to be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the Jay Truck was open Friday and Saturday 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. last semester. The Fresh Nest is now operating for two hours less than it did in the fall, while the Jay Truck is not operating at all.

When asked what factors are causing the shortage, Benner said, “We have to compete with other businesses in Elizabethtown and surrounding towns for applicants. Many people also do not want to work in the food service industry anymore.”

“We also do not have the student employment involvement as we have had in years past,” Benner added. “Dining Services used to be the largest student employer on campus, which has drastically changed over the past two years.”

Most of the students interviewed for this article cited low wages as a reason for the shortages, saying that the Senate’s work to increase the minimum wage by $1 was not enough. “Why would people work at Dining Services if they could drive down the road and get paid twice as much as they do here?” Moscoso, who is also a senate representative for the class of 2024, said.

“I think nobody wants to work in Dining Services because the pay is not ideal,” an anonymous Dining Services student worker said. “People already have a bad connotation of Dining Services from the marketplace, so I think they should have more benefits like for students working over break.”

The problem has only become worse with time and people are growing worried about more closures and less food options in the future. This has put even more stress on students currently working with Dining Services. Students may think that their food is taking longer than usual due to the student workers, not understanding the vast impact that staffing shortages have had on the department.

“Have patience when we are working because it is not our fault that we are short-staffed,” the anonymous student worker said when asked if they had a message for the student body. “We are doing the best we can.”

It is important to remember that student workers are also students. They have homework, quizzes and exams just like us. We should not add unfair stress to their plates as they are working hard to keep Dining Services running.

“It’s been a challenge. Especially compared to last semester, when we had a good number of student workers in the Nest, but we’ve got a good crew, and I am very thankful for the people we have,” student lead worker Hayden Mitchell said. “They’re the best people to work with on campus, but we are seeing the impact of having less workers.”

When asked about ways to mitigate the worker shortage, Benner said, “As I stated earlier, we have some help from other departments on campus, and we have changed some operating hours. Employees are working overtime to fill gaps, and we are asking our current employees to pick up some extra responsibilities that they would not normally do.”

“The staffing shortage is not just isolated here at Elizabethtown, but this shortage is affecting the entire U.S. economy,” Benner explained. “Our suppliers are affected, the trucking companies delivering our food are affected. Our purchasing manager has become very creative about just getting supplies to the college for us to utilize.”

“My final words to the student body would be to thank you for being and continuing to be patient and know that our entire department is working hard to provide the student body with the best service that we can offer,” Benner said as a final message. “If anyone is interested in working for Dining Services, please send me an email to benneraustin@etown.edu.”