A lack of students interested in maintaining Iowa State’s landscape is making it difficult to keep the grounds looking beautiful during the summer, officials say.

Campus Services Manager Dennis Erickson said the inflexible schedule and sometimes uncomfortable heat create problems in hiring student workers.

“We are not as flexible as some of the other areas, like fast food places, because our hours are 7:30 [a.m.] to 4 [p.m.],” Erickson said. “We like to have them have at least the bulk of those hours. I think that’s one of the problems to draw students working here every year.”

Erickson said Campus Services officials recently decided to increase the pay to about $7 per hour because of an increased need for student workers during the summer.

Chad Cruzen, sophomore in pre-business, said the high temperatures are a major drawback to the job.

“The worst part of this job is the heat,” he said, but added he needs a job in summer and it was easy to find an available position on the grounds crew.

Craig Sondgeroth, freshman in political science, said he chose to work with the grounds crew because he lives in Ames and the people he works with are nice.

“I think the worst part of this job is getting up in the early morning, but the best part of it is joking around with everybody around the shop. Everybody just laughs about everything,” Sondgeroth said.

The 41 student workers hired this summer do a variety of tasks each day, Erickson said.

He said the only qualification students need to work on the grounds crew is the willingness to work hard. He also said the grounds crew is an equal opportunity employer.

Laura Luymes, sophomore in pre-business, said she is capable of working just as hard as the males do around campus. “I chose to work here because my friend is here. It is not a problem that females work grounds crews. I do the same work that men do,” Luymes said.

Although it is hard to recruit students to work in the summer, the ones who work do a nice job, Erickson said.

“It is getting harder to find [students], but they’re doing well this summer,” he said.