The Associated Student of Madison Shared Governance Committee met Tuesday to discuss the impact of campus construction on students and underemployment in the university’s dining halls.
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According to the Badger Chemist News, the University of Wisconsin has recently allocated 220 million dollars for construction on chemistry and agriculture facilities alone.
The committee discussed the impact of UW’s multi-million dollar construction plans on the student body and how they pose a threat to students’ safety.
Students of Chadbourne Residence Hall shared their experience of having to jaywalk to get across the street. The same students said they are nervous their peers will get hurt by passing bikes or cars. The committee also discussed alternative ways to travel up Bascom Hill, as students with disabilities may have a hard time traveling to their classes.
ASM Campus Transportation Committee Student Representative Tyler Katzenberger said construction can disproportionately affect students with disabilities.
“The university needs to be mindful of how limited accessibility impacts students’ limited passing time,” Katzenberger said. “It is especially important to be mindful of students with disabilities and maintain their access to campus buses and facilities.”
Later in the meeting, Shared Governance Campaign Director Emma Cline brought up that UW’s Unions and dining halls are understaffed. Carte, a restaurant located at Memorial Union, has closed due to these staffing shortages, Cline said.
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Amaya Boman, a freshman who worked at Four Lakes Market from late August until September said the scheduling is difficult for students because Four Lakes relies on a long-term schedule and finding people to cover shifts is quite difficult. Boman also said there is a lack of relationships between full-time employees at the dining halls and the students, which made Four Lakes “a very uncomfortable place” to work.
Former dining hall employees said better training strategies could increase employment by making students more accustomed to working in customer service. Another UW employee said free meal plans for students could incentivize students to work in the dining halls.
The ASM Shared Governance committee will meet again next Tuesday, Oct. 19 to further discuss problems students are facing on campus.
