I will take a "wild guess" that you are correct. One, just one, actual box office employee and nothing else but two student interns. At a place with academic demands of RPI, doubt they are available all that often. Oh, then this skeleton crew has to move their base of operations up the hill to also handle the box office up there for five to six more football games a year.
A second long time box office employee retired pre pandemic, yet no replacement was ever approved. Believe there also was a third one once upon a time (at least on game days) but do not know what became of that one except that it was never replaced either.
By contrast, my small private high school whose football games draw comparable crowds to a typical RPI football game always have at least two at their "box office" (a folding table). For the rivalry game against their sister school from the next city and the alumni weekend game they have three. Unlike overwhelmed RPI box office staff, they don't even have to print tickets or answer phones and return voicemail messages. They only collect general admission money, period!!! Nonetheless, it still gets pretty frantic for them nearing game time trying to get all the customers in ASAP.
Based on seeing people that I know personally doing that for most of the Friday night lights home games, I would suggest that using the term understaffed related to the RPI box office is an understatement. It is probably more a case of being badly outgunned and having absolutely no chance whatsoever.