When Elizabeth Smith got the notice on Monday that she and other student employees wouldn’t be working in Hamilton Hall dining for the rest of spring term, it “came kind of out of nowhere.”
Smith, a University of Oregon senior studying general social sciences, would have had her one-year work anniversary in May. During finals week of winter term, she moved back to live with her family in Murrieta, California. But not having a job changes her plan to find a sublease in Eugene, and she’s looking into filing for unemployment.
“For workers like myself who work in food, we were told that we were essential workers,” Smith said. “And we were told that we were supposed to show up to work no matter what, whether it’s snowing, raining or sunny, we were supposed to be there… [If] I would have expected any job on campus to stay open, it would have been mine.”
After UO announced that it would be hosting classes remotely, closing several parts of campus and discontinuing various university services in the days leading up to the start of spring term, student workers across campus have either had their hours reduced to compensate, and some — in the most severe cases — face temporary unemployment, according to several students interviewed by the Emerald.
The university did not answer questions for this story after multiple requests for comment.
During finals week of winter term, Hamilton dining, the location of venues such as Big Mouth Burrito, Common Grounds Café and the Grab ‘n’ Go Marketplace, announced to its student employees that they wouldn’t be working in spring term.
“In respect of keeping our community healthy, we have made changes to the way we serve food and will continue until future notice,” the March 30 message read. “We are prepared to hire as many students as possible for fall term who were employed during the 2019 school year.”
The university did not answer questions about how many student employees it employed nor whether student employees would be laid off for the entire term.
UO dorms and dining halls are still open, according to the UO coronavirus FAQ webpage, since some students would not have housing if they were forced out like other colleges and universities have done. Others may not be able to return home due to restrictions or federal recommendations advising against travel to countries such as Italy, China and South Korea.
“Housing and dining will follow guidance from state and local health authorities and the University Health Center to implement social distancing and increased prevention strategies,” the FAQ reads. (The dining halls have been serving food to go since March 17, for example.)
During a normal academic year, over 4,500 students live on campus, UO President Michael Schill said in a virtual town hall held on April 2 discussing how COVID-19 is impacting faculty and staff. But now, fewer than 300 are still on campus.
Because of the rapid developments regarding the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon, plans for how campus will function are quickly changing. During week 10, for example, Hamilton dining sent out a message to its student employees announcing that it would be opening “as planned” for spring term, with regular opening hours.
Roger Lozano, who also worked in Hamilton dining, reached out to his manager over spring break asking whether he could still work in the spring. He never got a response, but a week later, he and his co-workers lost their jobs on the first day of class.
“It just seemed like there could have been a better way of handling things,” Lozano, a sophomore studying planning, public policy and management, said. He had been working in Hamilton dining since September 2019, and he used the money to pay for rent.
Reduced hours
Other student workers on campus are facing reduced hours to work.
Gillian Hallock, a senior studying political science and family and human services, has worked the front desks in Global Scholars Hall and Hamilton for about two years. She hands residents their Amazon packages and lets them into the building when they’re locked out. But during finals week, after she had already gone home to Spokane, Washington, she couldn’t leave to return to her home — and her job — in Eugene.
“There’s kind of a lot of uncertainty now. I’m technically still scheduled, but I’m unable to get back to school,” Hallock said. “It’s hard because there’s a lot of open shifts, but no one can take them. No one’s really able to get back.”
Hallock said she’s fortunate to be living with her family, since she won’t have to pay for as much in bills.
“It’s definitely going to be a little tighter,” Hallock said. “I’ll have to be a little smarter with how I’m spending because I won’t be getting that sort of income.”
Bernice Amaya, a senior journalism student, has been working at the tech desk in Allen Hall for the past two years. A lot of her paycheck pays for rent and food. Originally, Amaya worked for about 20 hours a week, making a little more than minimum wage. Despite no definitive answer being given to her at the time, Amaya felt fairly certain that there was no way to keep her job.
“Throughout this entire process, I didn’t hear much,” Amaya said. “As far as I know, a lot of departments aren’t communicating with their workers.”
Tamlyn Padilla-Grafilo worked in the basement of the Knight Library, checking out equipment for cinema studies students. Padilla-Grafilo mentioned that her boss had every intention of staying open as long as they could given the jobs they worked could not be done remotely. UO’s libraries closed to everyone except staff starting March 30, according to the UO Libraries website.
“The lack of admin communication has been very frustrating across the board,” Padilla-Grafilo, a senior, said. “Seniors have put so much into this school. And I feel like we aren’t getting the closure we deserve.”
Smith, the former Hamilton dining employee, planned to spend her last term before graduation on campus, paying her bills and working for around 20 hours each week in Big Mouth Burrito and Gastro Kitchen. Instead, she’s at home, looking into filing for unemployment.
“I really planned on this job helping me move back up to Oregon,” Smith said. “I know for a lot of employees, they live paycheck to paycheck on this job. And that’s devastating for them and myself.”
The Emerald reached out to the university with a number of questions for this story. The university’s spokesperson didn’t answer any of these questions after a week of repeated requests, or provide a statement about them:
- How many students have been laid off from their on-campus jobs?
- Will students be laid off for the entire term?
- How many students does UO employ for on-campus jobs? What are some of the departments with the largest number of student employees?
- Are there different designations of student employees, and if so, what kinds are there? Do they receive different levels of benefits?
- Which of these departments are considered essential personnel?
- Which departments are receiving job security?
- Is there a clear and consistent message being communicated across every department that facilitates student workers?
