Katie Paysinger
News editor

With the country in an economic recession, Linfield students are looking for employment in higher numbers than ever before. The demand for on-campus summer jobs has increased, but some students are having difficulty getting in the door before the positions are filled.
“I noticed even before Spring Break that we were getting more inquiries than last year,” Brad Sinn, director of facilities and auxiliary services, said.
Sinn is one of the coordinators for the summer paint crew jobs. He has already filled 13 positions for this coming summer.
Linfield’s Human Resources recently put up a Web site where students can view what departments have openings for summer employment. This is the first year the program has been in place.
“It seemed silly to go from place to place,” Senior Director of Human Resources and Administration Linda Powell said.
Although the concept of the Web site is beneficial for students looking for summer jobs, it is not current and many students find it
difficult.
“We do want to make sure the Web site is up-to-date,” Powell said. “But it may not be instantaneous.”
Sophomore Allie Eckstorm received a position with the paint crew for the summer. She approached Sinn and Rick Carruth, the building and trades superintendent, about the position before she read about it online.
“It is really competitive, so I went and met with them,” she said. “With the economy so bad, people really want these jobs.”
Most of the other paint crew positions were received this way, as well. As in most departments, preference is given to returning students.
There will be the campus job fair in Fred Meyer Lounge in Riley Student Center on April 17. Booths will be set up with information about summer housing, driving positions, safety training, human resource information and possible campus employment.
However, most all of the campus summer positions are already filled.
“I feel like it is pointless to even go [to the fair] because everything online is already filled,” sophomore Kira Hufnagl said.
Hufnagl was trying to find a summer job on campus but noticed online that all the positions were already filled. However, she contacted Facilities Services anyway and was called in for an interview, demonstrating the miscommunication between department openings and Web site accuracies.
Melissa Malloy, administrative support specialist and co-creator of the human resources job search Web site, said the fair will not only be for summer job employment, but also for informational services and possible job openings for next school year. Information about workshops sponsored by career services will also be available.