Claudia Wheeler sees every day how her workplace becomes a home away from home for University of Nebraska–Lincoln students, faculty and staff. As a clerical associate with Massengale Dining Service, she helps make the East Union Dining Center a safe space where people build community.
“We all have to eat,” Wheeler said. “This is a respite for a lot of them. I’m just trying to be a friendly face. It really makes their day go by a little easier.”
Wheeler primarily handles payroll and timesheets, invoices and some office inventory ordering. She also works the cash register at the front of the house for a few hours a day.
Originally from the Gulf Coast, Wheeler started working for the university about 20 years ago as a cashier. She then served in catering for several years before beginning her current position. She said she enjoys following students throughout their college careers and seeing them grow. She fondly remembers one student whom she bonded with especially strongly who moved home to Germany, but whom she viewed as another son during his time as a student.
“You get attached because they really are exceptional young people,” she said.
Working in the dining hall, Wheeler finds it can become a safe space for students as they head out on their own for the first time, and she values being one of the people who make them feel at home.
“They all have something they give to me, and I hopefully give them something back,” she said. “The kids when they come in, they’re used to eating dinner with their parents, and this is a completely new environment for them. You can be a familiar face.”
This community-building will be crucial, Wheeler said, to a new role she has taken on as a member of the Staff Senate. Wheeler’s term began in September, and she said by having conversations with other staff members from across departments while in the dining hall, she is able to learn about their concerns and things she might be able to discuss with the senate. Some might not feel like they have a voice on campus, she said, and she would like to be a listening ear for them.
“A lot of people are not very forthcoming, but they’ll tell me, ‘It really would be nice if ...,’” she said. “I can take that to the Staff Senate and say, ‘This is the suggestion.’ If each of us listen to 10 or 20 people, then we can take their ideas and their hopes and dreams back.”
Wheeler said she is looking forward to being a voice for people she sees every day on campus. She said she has been impressed by the other staff senators’ dedication to making the university a better place.
“It’s a good group of folks who really want what’s best for the staff, for the faculty and for the students and the university, so we all have a common goal,” she said.
Nominations are open for Staff Senate elections until 5 p.m. Feb. 16. Learn more about how to get involved with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Staff Senate.
