Typically, by the beginning of October, many students have secured their on-campus jobs. This year, however, Penn State Campus Dining is facing serious understaffing, even as the seventh week of school approaches. The staff shortage has led to frustration and confusion among Penn Staters who want to grab a panini and go.

Currently, Campus Dining employs 270 full-time workers and 909 part-time workers, about 450 fewer part-time workers than what’s needed to be 100% staffed. This year, there’s been a 15.7% downward trend of student dining hall employment, in addition to a 17% drop from the previous year.

To adapt to the staff shortages, Campus Dining occasionally changes hours or closes stations. These changes have caused frustration among students who eat in the dining halls, as their favorites are not always available.

South and East Food Districts tend to experience the closings most frequently, as they must staff both the buffet and individual stations. Evening closings of the “In a Pickle” sub station tend to cause the most dissatisfaction among students.

“We don’t take these decisions lightly,” Senior Assistant Director of Residential Dining Jamie Robinson said. “We take [into consideration] guest feedback, popularity of stations, and having a variety of options available that meet dietary needs and preferences.”

Food safety and quality are the number one priority, and at times, Campus Dining must make difficult calls to meet the level of service required for guests. Signage and social media postings are being used to facilitate communication with guests. 

Residential Dining anticipated the shortage and began taking steps to tackle the issue earlier this year. Staff visited Commonwealth campus locations to reach transfer students, attended all NSO sessions this summer, and set up information tables at places like the Student Bookstore during move-in weekend. However, the rise of many new downtown restaurants has led to a shortage of workers to hire, according to interim director of Residential Dining Jim Meinecke.

“All of campus is dealing with the same [shortage of workers],” he said. “It is a good thing that new restaurants are coming in, but we are all pooling for the same people.”

Campuses across the nation are facing the same problem, including industry partners like Purdue and Illinois. 

Student education continues to be a priority of Residential Dining. Workers are offered additional hours, but the minimum is still two shifts per week. Currently, there is a multi-faceted plan to incentivize recruitment of students that includes referral bonuses and operations for efficiency. 

Residential Dining offers competitive wages and flexible hours. Students interested in applying can visit the Residential Dining Student Employment website.

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