Despite long lines and student complaints, Enterprise Services Manager Eric Magallon said the Art and Coffee Bar is not hiring for the rest of the semester.
Magallon said scheduling more workers would lead to a lack of space and lower productivity.
“Our observations have found that because of the size of the prep area, if we have more than three people, productivity slows and staff start become becoming tangled with each other,” Magallon said in an email.
To shorten the morning lines, Magallon said Bookstore Services has two proposals — create a mobile feature for students to order ahead of time, or build another coffee shop on campus.
Bookstore Services is “looking into a third party app that takes orders and drinks for coffee payments,” Magallon said.
Magallon said Bookstore Services considers building a second coffee shop.
“There’s just so much involved but it is in our program review and definitely down the road,” Magallon said.
Student employee Cesar Carbajal said the Art and Coffee Bar in the SS Building is too short on staff for the volume of students at Citrus.
Carbajal said the store is too busy for two to three workers during its busiest hours. The busiest hours for the store are mornings and early afternoons. Though four employees are scheduled in the morning, only two employees are scheduled in the afternoon.
Director of Human Resources Robert Sammis said Citrus is not ruling out hiring more student employees. He said it’s “a matter of what budgets people have.”
With the volume of students in line, sometimes out the door, Carbajal said he wishes Citrus would hire more people to work at the store.
“I even brought it up in a meeting, ‘are we hiring or not?’” Carbajal said.
Sammis said he is aware of the volume of customers served.
“I’ve seen the line,” Sammis said. It’s not my area to supervise but I know we’re always looking for students.”
Magallon also said the store rush-hours are better preparing students for realistic workplace conditions.
“Students need to experience real world work situations that better prepare them for life after Citrus,” Magallon said.
Carbajal works the closing shift. He has to stay till after the store closes to clean all the dishes used that day and the entire store, including the lobby located at the entrance of the coffee shop. Carbajal said he and another worker are there typically till 7 or 8 p.m. cleaning the store.
While student workers believe that working at the Art and Coffee Bar is intense, both Sammis and Magallon believe their experience will benefit them in the future.
In an email, Magallon said working on campus gives students the ability to “learn the necessary skills they can use outside Citrus.”
Sammis believes students who work at their school are guaranteed more “success” when attending.
“Having a job on campus is better in terms of success,” Sammis said. “Research has shown that students succeed better if they are working on campus.”
Working at the Art and Coffee Bar does not mandate a certain gpa either, getting hired is dependent on whether the student is a full-time student and their availability.
Carbajal said the student’s availability is considered more than the other requirements.
“If your schedule is the same all across the board you’re probably going to get hired,” Carbajal said.
Magallon said students are prepared for the future after their time working on campus.
“The bookstore is team is proud when our students leave Citrus better educated and ready to enter a new chapter of their lives,” Magallon said.
The college is hiring for many jobs, but the Art and Coffee bar is not one of them. Applications are accepted throughout the year to work on campus.
Students can find job listings on the Citrus College website under “Student Employment” or going to the location and physically asking the manager.
For more information, visit: http://www.citruscollege.edu/hr/ses/Pages/default.aspx.
