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Phoebe Velez used to work nine hours a week at central services in Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. But that job, her main source of income, no longer exists.

Shortly before she returned to campus this fall, Velez’s boss emailed her and said that central services would not be able to rehire her for the semester due to coronavirus-related safety restrictions.

“It is all of my spending money for the year,” said Velez, a junior public relations major who helped deliver mail and worked in the auditorium during speaking events. “I have money stocked up from the previous semester, but I have no income for this semester.”

Velez isn’t alone. SU has reduced hours for student workers at multiple offices and food services cafes due to COVID-19 health guidelines, and some student positions have closed completely. Student employees on Federal Work-Study told The Daily Orange that they’ve noticed significant changes in their work schedules, and many worry what will happen to their income if the university closes early this semester.

But the university claims that it hasn’t gotten rid of any student employment positions. SU has seen an increase in job postings, said Camille Donabella, director of student employment operations and strategy. Each department determines its own student staffing needs, and some are still in the process of filling student positions, she said.

“While we are aware that some departments may have adjusted student hours or positions based on their individual office’s needs, we expect more hiring to happen in the first few weeks of the semester,” she said.

Several students said they have seen their work hours reduced since returning to campus. Bryan Jardines, a senior finance major who works at Life Sciences Cafe, said SU reduced his number of shifts from three or four a week to just one.

He expects to earn only a fourth of what he made last semester, and he’s looking for another way to earn money. He understands the importance of COVID-19 safety measures but hopes that he won’t continue to see his hours reduced.

“I think I could still manage (attending the university) but it would be a lot more tough for sure,” he said.

Students who work in SU Food Services used to have the option to pick up shifts at multiple locations on campus. But because of the COVID-19 restrictions, most are only allowed to work at one location, said McKyle Zschoche, a junior health and exercise science major.

The rules are somewhat more relaxed for student supervisors, who can choose to work at two different locations on campus, said Zschoche, who splits his time between Falk Cafe and Life Sciences Cafe.

Rebecca Balara, a junior public relations major who works at Food.com, is also a student supervisor. Since supervisors must work a minimum of two shifts per week, she hasn’t seen a change in the number of hours she works, even though Food.com shortened its hours to close at 3 p.m. instead of 7 p.m Monday through Friday. Pages Cafe in Bird Library, which usually closes at 11 p.m., now closes at 7 p.m.

Balara worries about what might happen if the university moves classes online due to a COVID-19 outbreak on campus. If SU closes Food.com, Balara would lose her only source of income.

“Especially since now I won’t be leaving campus if we go online, it’s pretty important that I can continue to work because I will still have to pay for WiFi and groceries and rent,” she said. “It could really hurt some students if (the university) were to close and the cafes were to close.”

Velez is also concerned about lacking an income this year. She took an unpaid internship this summer assuming she’d still have her Federal Work-Study job to earn spending money during the semester.

After spending the first week adjusting to the fall semester, Velez started looking for new jobs on campus.

While Zschoche and Balara haven’t seen their hours cut, they have noticed fewer students picking up shifts. Balara isn’t sure why some shifts aren’t filling up.

Even with hours reduced at multiple cafes on campus, food services employees said they serve fewer customers. This might change as students become more acclimated to life at SU, which has changed considerably as a result of the pandemic.

“In a couple weeks when we start to get the hang of things and people realize there’s more places on campus that they can still get food, it might actually get busier and they may need people for more shifts,” Zschoche said.

Published on September 2, 2020 at 10:20 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan