With 29 locations and 700 student positions, Campus Dining Services is the largest student employer on campus. While working in food service may be unappealing to many, the skills you learn and the potential for scholarships make campus dining a great job for many students.

Job positions for students range from dish washers to student managers. The lowest level positions are great for students looking for part-time work. The student managers and highest level positions are a bigger commitment as their responsibilities are opening the dining halls at 5 a.m. and closing them at 2 a.m. The highest level positions require a semester of work in campus dining services before eligibility.

“As far as student employment, we like to say we select students rather than hire students,” Campus Dining Director Nancy Monteer said. “We are a first job for a lot of students who may not have worked in high school, so we like to focus on transferable skills.”

In all of the jobs, students learn customer service skills and how to work in a team of people. One student selected by Campus Dining was Megan Clark. Clark has worked for Campus Dining for almost three years and is currently one of two student managers at The Restaurants of Southwest.

“I’ve learned a lot about how to communicate professionally and act in a professional environment,” Clark said. “[Campus Dining] is a safe place to make mistakes and learn how to communicate in different settings.”

As a student manager, Clark works closely with both higher administrative positions and students. Her duties include managing students, training students and supervisors and working with Excel.

Clark recommends working for Campus Dining because of the job’s flexible hours, the ability to work around your class schedule and the supportive work environment. Campus Dining also offers reduced meal prices to all employees.

By working for Campus Dining services, you are also eligible to win Campus Dining scholarships. As of last year, Campus Dining has given 212 scholarships worth $125,450 in the past 20 years. Annually, this includes eight $1,000 scholarships and one $1,500 scholarship called the Student Employee of the Year Scholarship. Clark received this scholarship this year. These scholarships are presented to student workers that show exceptional skills and improvement in their time working for Campus Dining Services.

This year, about 500 out of 700 student positions are filled, Monteer said. In addition to the 200 part-time openings, there are a few full-time openings as well. Campus Dining jobs are available to students no matter their experience or major. Monteer said this is a major decrease from previous years, and Campus Dining has no idea why their employment rates are so low.

_Edited by Alexandra Sharp | asharp@themaneater.com_