By Alyssa Wilson ~ Assistant Editor
The University of Lynchburg and the City of Lynchburg is experiencing a shortage of workers.
On Indeed.com, there are 130 job postings for cook, 61 job postings for server and 21 listings for dishwasher.
Many of these positions are paying between $11 and $17 per hour while student dining staff get paid $8.25, which was increased from $7.25 over the summer of 2021.
Is it a wonder that some college students would rather pay the price of the convenience of an on-campus job for one that pays Virginia’s minimum wage?
University of Lynchburg dining services jobs for students are part of the work-study program, so the university is only legally required to pay students minimum wage which is $7.25 per hour.
“The minimum wage in Virginia is $11 per hour. So, I guess the question is why are we paying less than $11 per hour? We recognize that it’s a problem that you can go anywhere off-campus and get paid at least $11 per hour, whereas on-campus, in most cases you are limited to $7.25. So that’s going to be
a problem and we are working on a plan to resolve that,” said Chris Burnley, Vice President of Business and Finance at the university.
After the university raised the wage for dining services jobs, a slight increase was seen in the number of applications. However, the majority of student positions within dining services are still unfilled.
According to Michial Neal, Dining Services Co-Director and Chef, over the past six to seven years there has been a decline in the number of student staff members in dining services.
“I think COVID had a lot to do with it. I don’t know when we’ll see an entrance in people returning to work; the work force coming back to work,” Neal said.
In general, since the pandemic hit, there has been a labor shortage across the country, with ‘Help Wanted’ signs strung across the windows of many businesses, especially restaurants, so it may be no surprise that the university is struggling too.
Neal said, “The food service industry seems to be hit a little harder than some folks, because a lot of restaurants have limited menus… reduction of hours so they aren’t overwhelming their staff… I don’t know when this is going to turn around.”
Dining services oversees the Burton Dining Hall, The Westover Room, and On Common Ground. Within these places on campus, management is having a difficult time to fill student positions. Due to this, The Westover Room has had to change their hours to accommodate employees schedules and there has been a decrease in some dining options.
Thinking of the worst case scenario, Neal made it clear that should the amount of staff members continue to decrease, that students, faculty and staff would always be able to count on the dining hall being open even if other options like On Common Ground and The Westover Room were forced to shut down.
Why are more students not wanting to work with dining services? There are several ideas to expand upon in that there are many other options within the community, however inconvenient it may be for some students to travel off-campus for work. Another is the possibility that some students may not see how working within dining services can help them in their future endeavors.
“I think students don’t see a value in what they would get here. They can’t relate on how working here would benefit them their roles after they graduate. To be truthful, that’s one hundred percent wrong.”
Within any job, a student can learn communication skills, time management skills and workplace etiquette regardless of rather they work at a law office or at a fast food restaurant. There are commonplace skills that every student will gain.
Freshman Mikayla Lewis, a dining services student staff member says, “The media portrays food service as a job you don’t want. It just has a very bad reputation… I don’t have a major that has anything to do with cooking or management, but it still helps me excel in my major. You can learn a lot from it.”
Lewis also expressed how her job is slightly more taxing than she would have imagined if every student staff spot was filled. “I have to stay late sometimes after the dining hall closes to help clean up,” Lewis said.
“I feel like we’ve already hit rock bottom and can only go up from here. If we keep going down then we’ll have to reevaluate, but at this point I think things are looking up,” Neal said.
Dining services is continuing to slowly fill student positions and have several interviews lined up for potential new staff members. Overall, dining services is looking to fight the negative perceptions that students may have about the food service industry, and let students know there are more skills to be gleaned within the industry than what meets the eye.
If you are interested in getting involved in University of Lynchburg Dining services, please email Dining Services Co-Director and Operations Manager Shaun Dearden at dearden@lynchburg.edu.