The Working Problem

Klaus Jacobs
Contributing Writer

UMF students are too lazy to work. At least, that’s what many of the older generations would say about the students on this campus. Upon arriving on campus for the 2022-2023 school year, the staff have been struggling with finding workers. This year, the Beaver Lodge couldn’t serve as much as usual and many places had reduced hours or were just closed for the day because of the shortage of workers. Many would assume that students just don’t want to work; however, there may be more to this picture than what meets the eye. 

A labor shortage is very prominent all over the world, especially after and during the COVID-19 pandemic that is still plaguing us to this day. There are many reasons for this labor shortage, which include not enough pay, poor working conditions, along with many other things that contribute to a person leaving their job. Another main cause would be that many workers are advocating for themselves to have a good work-life balance and a healthy workplace and not succumbing to their boss’s wishes. While this is a worldwide issue, how is this affecting the students on the UMF campus?

After talking to a few workers about their experiences with working on campus, it became clear that the working conditions for student employees are rather flexible and UMF is willing to work with the students they have. UMF sophomore Sakinah Fuzzell, who works in the front office for Ernestine Hutchison, states her feelings when asked if her job does its best to properly adjust to her schedule: 

“Ernestine is all about making sure your schedule works with your work schedule,” Fuzzell states, “She’s very understanding.” Despite a very busy school schedule, Fuzzell manages to go to work and has her schedule catered to her to work as efficiently as possible. 

This is also the case for Library worker and Shift Leader Willow Sanchez. When asked the same question, Sanchez states: “Yes this job adjusts to my schedule…Last year I was doing practicum and was only able to work one day a week and they were able to find a day for me to work without it interfering my classes.” The Library’s work environment is a calming environment most of the time, where plenty of students come to do work and a variety of other activities. When asked if Sanchez felt valued as a worker at her job she said: “Yes I do feel valued at my job, my voice is able to be heard and it is an overall great experience.” So this still begs the question, why is there such a shortage of workers on UMF campus?

According to Assistant Director of Financial Aid Joseph Toner, COVID-19 is a large reason for the job shortage in UMF as well. “Before COVID,” Toner states, “There were around 800-900 jobs available for students; however this year, there are about 488 students who are working 595 jobs.” Toner goes on to say that this problem is rooted from people getting back to school life adjusting to life post COVID, juggling many things in regards to classes during the pandemic, as well as simply starting a new life here in college. Adjusting to life as we slowly transition towards what we hope is a chance for normalcy makes it hard for many people to adjust to life after COVID. As a result of the pandemic, many students have had a stunted growth in basic life skills that are an essential part of students’ lives: learning how to write a resume and applying for jobs, alongside the adjustment to your lifestyle that comes with having a job and attending school. All of those which are usually developed through high school were taken away during COVID, and now, college students are struggling to catch up—which is a universal issue along with an issue within UMF and is no one’s fault. 

The career center helps students develop these skills to make for a better future for everyone. Many students were negatively affected during the pandemic, and,  if UMF students are supported, it would help many people immensely. Students may reach the career center by heading over to Franklin Hall.