Despite the dipping economy and a higher demand for on campus student jobs, many student positions have remained unaffected.

“We haven’t had to cut anybody and we have the same amount of positions we have had in the past,” said Scott Nelson, coordinator of staff development for University Housing, in a phone interview Monday.

Nelson oversees undergraduate staff that includes everything from resident assistants to the Village programming assistant.

He said he does not foresee those positions being cut, though he said raises might be reevaluated.

“In terms of raises at this point it is too early to determine, because we have a pay raise committee that looks at the salaries and hourly rates of all student committees,” Nelson said. “That committee has not yet met.”

He said that committee should meet soon after spring break to determine how housing will handle that part of the budget.

J. Michael Floyd, director of Food Services, said student jobs have not been cut, but there is a call for additional positions.

“There actually is a phenomenon in the campus food service industry that many [campus food directors] have never seen before,” Floyd said in a Wednesday phone interview. “There are more students wanting to work than I can hire, and this is happening all over the country.”

He said Food Services is not hiring now, but more than 140 students have put in applications to work.

“From my perspective, because of the economy more and more students are needing to work than before,” Floyd said.

Many will be hard-pressed to find positions.

The University bookstore is not hiring because all positions are full.

“So much of what we do is cyclical,” University Bookstore Director James Dwyer said. “There is certain work we need regardless of the economic environment.”

Dwyer said this is a slow time for bookstore employment -help is needed mostly at the end of the semester – but there were no cutbacks in the back-to-school rush.

Campus Transit, which is also not accepting applications, said it was not due to cutbacks.

“We’re not funded by the state at all -we are funded by transportation fees,” said Ron Hamlin, Campus Transit manager, in a phone interview Friday. “We are just funded in a different manner, so our services have not been affected.”