A sign outside a dining hall at Michigan State University. Dining halls at the school have been affected by a lack of workers. The school is asking professors and others to volunteer to work a few hours. (Nick King/Lansing State Journal via AP)

Dear Commons Community,

Short of staff, Michigan State University is making an urgent plea to all employees including faculty to volunteer in campus dining halls.

MSU’s residential services department has already asked 132 full-time employees to work eight hours a week, the Lansing State Journal reported, but it’s apparently not enough.

“Faculty and staff from around campus are invited to sign up to assist in the dining halls! We have specific needs during evenings and weekends,” Vennie Gore, a senior vice president, said in an email to deans.

Gore provided a link to a criminal background check and tips on how to prepare for the first shift.

Devin Silvia, director of undergraduate studies in MSU’s computational math department, said the request was “astounding.”

“I am all about supporting the MSU student community and making sure they have a positive experience,” said Silvia, who was paid at least $100,000 in 2020-21. “But at the end of the day, I’m doing that in my own career and questioning whether I’m being sufficiently compensated.”

About 4,000 students typically work in dining halls, but only 1,200 were employed at the end of September, the State Journal reported.

Starting pay was recently raised from $12 to $15 an hour. Gore said MSU is competing with local businesses for workers.

While not funny, I am not sure faculty would enjoy serving hamburgers.

Tony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx_TdyLz3kE&t=323s

Chris Wallace’s comment about Jen Psake comes at the 12:40 mark

Dear Commons Community,

After four years of Trump press secretaries Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, and Kayleigh McEnany, Joe Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, has been a breath of fresh air. Democrats have loved Psaki because they see her as having brought back a sense of competence and reliability.  Republicans and conservative have been more critical of her.  So it came as no surprise when Chris Wallace commented that she was “one of the best press secretaries ever,” that the far right and especially his colleagues at Fox News went berserk.

Chris Wallace knows about press secretaries. He began working as a White House press correspondent back in the 1970’s. So it was quite a compliment when he called Psaki one of the best press secretaries ever.

Wallace made the comments while speaking with Sandra Smith (see video above). The host played a clip of Doocy and Psaki discussing Joe Biden’s recent trip to the border. He responded, “Honestly, as somebody who’s spent six years in the White House, my immediate reaction was those are two people at the top of their game.”

Wallace then moved onto Psaki, noting, [she] is one of the best press secretaries ever. I don’t know that anything was particularly accomplished, but they both gave and got pretty good.”

Fox News nation is having fits!

Sebastian Gorka, a pathetic Fox News contributor, tweeted that Wallace was “a clown” for his compliment about Psaki.

Tony