Associate Director of Residential Dining Bruce Haskell, said throughout his 40 years working at MSU, he has noticed a new-hire shortage each year and one factor could be the timing of recruitment.

“We at MSU make a strong commitment to hire student employees,” Haskell said. “A lot don’t want to start before Labor Day, and so the hiring process takes a little longer.”

He also said Residential Dining didn’t get the usual 15 to 20 minutes to talk to parents about the organization and student employment opportunities this summer due to shortened Academic Orientation Program hall tours.

“We had to do everything through online hiring services,” Haskell said.

MSU cafeterias employ about 3,000 students and serve about 30,000 meals a day, Haskell said in a previous interview.

Despite the cafeteria’s effort to offer students work schedules that accommodate class times and other activities, according to the MSU Culinary Services and Residential Dining website, Haskell said there still is a high level of turnover, as students attempt to balance school and work.

Although, hospitality business freshman Kaelyn Elenbaas has noticed the shortage at her workplaces in Hubbard and Holmes halls’ cafeterias, but said she isn’t so sure it’s all bad.

“It’s a good thing because it gives me opportunities to pick up more shifts and I can make more money,” Elenbaas said. “Sometimes, though, it kind of sucks because instead of doing one job, you might have to do two.”

She chose to work in East Neighborhood Dining Services from the favorable words her brother shared about his experience working for Residential Dining and to further her experience in hospitality business.

“If someone doesn’t have something to do or not enough things to do, (they should) work in the caf because it’s easy and fun,” she said.