October 21, 2021

Michigan State University has asked employees to help out in their dining halls because of a shortage of workers. That should be a straightforward story because it highlights one example of how colleges and universities suffer the same whims of the economy as other businesses, as well as because it reveals an institution attempting to appeal to its employees' sense of altruism.  

However, nothing is straightforward in a world where everything is slanted.

Start with the headline from the link I provided:  "Fries With That Exam?  College Profs Asked To Help With Food."  I suppose there is little likelihood the general public would click on a headline that said "Registrar Asked To Help With Food?"  "What the hell is a Registrar" is most likely the public response, or given the dumbing down of America, perhaps "Shouldn't the Register always help heat food?"  God knows how heads would spin if they were told "Comptroller Asked to Help With Food." 

I am also a little befuddled by the line that points out that the Senior Vice President included a link so that potential food servers could get a criminal background check.  Are other MSU employees NOT needing a criminal background check?

Then, note that the article quotes one employee, a professor, in terms of a reaction to the request.  A professor whose response suggests that such a request (not a demand, mind you) is inappropriate. Is it more or less appropriate than having faculty take out their own trash (see Trashy Poetry)? The article also points out that the prof makes over $100,000 a year . . . because why not, given that "under-compensation" was mentioned.

Why aren't we hearing from the Tutoring Coordinator, who is probably already putting in 50-60 hours a week, trying to maintain tutoring services, about how he or she feels about the ask?  Why not the Compliance Officer, also feeling overworked and undervalued as he or she adds COVID-related compliance to other compliance oversight?  A university is made up of much more than just its professors, staff feeling equally underpaid and underappreciated as any faculty member.  In fact, even before I saw this article, I had been chewing on the observations of an op-ed piece from Inside Higher Ed that discusses the very real "invisible understaffing epidemic" across higher education.

Having said that, does every college and university have to have that one professor who says things that make the whole profession reek of entitlement?  Can't you think more globally and provide a more appropriate answer: "Fed students are generally more energetic students, so I hope the college can get through this crisis, especially if many of us employees can't make the hours work?"  

I don't know if I have ever heard a faculty member say, "I am not in this for the students," but some weeks that is really hard to believe at an individual level.