As you walk past the Pioneer Student Center, you can’t help but notice the smell of hamburgers and french fries floating in the air. Everybody has to eat, but do we really take the time to think about our fellow students who make breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even late night binges possible?

We are familiar with the two places that serve us food on a daily basis. There’s Glenview Commons and the Pioneer Student Center. Talking to students, you would probably find that the majority would choose to eat at the PSC. Reasons include how close it is to the academic buildings and that it has better food. Glenview Commons is known for being closer to the residence halls and the ability to eat soft serve whenever you want.

Photograph by Kate Olsen
Junior Ryan Tesch a criminal justice major, makes a pizza on March 3 while working at the Pioneer Haus at the Pioneer Student Center. Tesch is one of many students working at Dining Services this semester.

Aaron Beyersdorff, a senior engineering physics major, has been working at the PSC for about a year.

“The Student Center is really flexible with hours, and it’s close,” said Beyersdorff. Beyersdorff said that he enjoyed working on campus because of all the different people he gets to see and work with.

Beyersdorff works around 10 hours a week, and like any college student with a job, wishes that it would pay more. The worst part about the job Beyersdorff said is the dish room.

Chad Mihalik, a senior criminal justice major, also works at the PSC as a student manager. His job is to keep track of the stations, take care of funds and fill in at places when needed.

“I worked at Glenview Commons for two days and quit,” Mihalik said. “The Student Center is a much better place to work.”

Mihalik said that he doesn’t work during the day, but that the busiest times are at noon and from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The only bad thing Mihalik can remember is when a person accidentally emptied a grease pan all over the floor, which took two pounds of salt to clean up.

People who work at Glenview also share similar stories. Brandon Haupt, a senior software engineering major, has been working at Glenview for two years. Haupt said that he likes working at Glenview commons with the different people, but the worst part would be the dish room.

“It’s really loud in the dish room, and that’s where they go through the most people. Students apply a lot and quit right away because they don’t realize what they are getting themselves into. I think students get sick of that job the most.”

Danielle Roznos, a sophomore, doesn’t mind working at Glenview because she had some food service experience before. Roznos said that a job is a job, regardless of where it is and that people should care about what they do.

Whether you’re eating cheeseburgers at the PSC or waffles on Sundays at Glenview its good to know what our fellow students who work in food services think about their jobs. Next time you’re waiting in line impatiently for your fries you can at least be thankful that it isn’t your hands in the grease.