Present: Jim Dontje, Judy Douglass, Deborah Downs Miers, Phil Finnochario, Stacey Gerken, Chris Hall, Lisa Heldke, Steve Kjellgren, Joe Lencioni, Marilla MacGregor, Sujay Rao, Mike Stehlik
Chief agenda item: “Continuing” the discussion of an ethical decision making framework for the Dining Service. Given the concrete issue currently on the table before us (water bottles), I propose that we simultaneously try to develop a framework for decision making AND address “the water question.”
Your homework (ASAP)
please take a look at the attached compilation lists, and answer the following questions regarding them:
What stands out for you as crucial? What seems off kilter or wrong? What’s confusing in what you read? What’s NOT here that should be, now that you think about it?
Reports
- Dining Services Director Steve reported:
- H1N1 meal request form is up and running. Usage is slight, since most students are making other arrangements, but, as Stacey noted, the gesture is a very important one.
- Nutrient labeling of every item in the Dining Service is moving ahead steadily. To date, 150 items have been analyzed. It’s hoped that, by year’s end, all items will be “nutriented.”
- Ill employees are being asked to remain home three days after their fever has subsided, as an extra precaution.
- Marilla noted that she, and many other students enjoyed dining in the alternative spaces, when they were “displaced” by large campus events.
- Intern Phil reports that:
- He is producing nutrient info cards that will display on the “big screen” in the Dining Service. These will complement the nutrition labeling, by helping to figure out just what cadmium does for them, anyway.
- His focus for the semester is package labeling. How do you read them?
- He is also working with Chris Hall, PA, to put together a gluten-free workshop.
- Stacey volunteered to contribute info about nut allergies
- Steve will get the info tabulated from Health Services about how many students self report as having various allergies.
Networking/Brainstorming
- A letter to the editor about bottled water prompted a discussion: what do we want to do to further the goal of eliminated bottled water on campus? What is involved in such an effort?
- Students Chris and Phil will take this to Student Senate to get their input
- A water-related matter is the issue of traylessness. There continue to be pushes to “go trayless.” What about focusing on the fact that this is really a conversation about value choices? This is a focus of the “decision making” document on which the KCab is working.
- Jim reports that the heavily-subsidized garden was very successful in many regards. The question is, how will this be rendered, ahem, sustainable? Students in his ES course this fall are exploring the question of how to extend the growing season with a green house. Make something that fits so well into the curriculum that we “can’t not do it.” Notably, the Commission 150 results point to projects such as this one.
- A Choices grant is allowing work on nutrition with sophomore athletes and dietician George Elliott. Ninety-six percent of sophomore athletes attended a nutrition and health session.
- Jeff Stocco took on the wellness portion of commission 150. Stacey is pushing for a more integrated approach that includes everything from nutrition to vocation. Nutrition-activity-mindfulness, in the spirit of The Chemistry of Joy.
- Perhaps it would be possible to get that author on campus.
- Mike suggested exploring a long-term internship with a graduate program in dietetics, to address our need for additional nutrition/dietetics work.
- Chris observed that he is pretty sure he knows how the work of compost collecting could get done, using current staff. The question/issue is, what do we do with the waste on the other end, so that it doesn’t pile up?
Time ran out before we could turn to the “main agenda item,” a discussion of last spring’s post-it session about what should govern decisions in the Dining Service. Because of that, Lisa asks that everyone please take a look at the attached compilation lists, and answer the following questions regarding them:
- What stands out for you as crucial?
- What seems off kilter or wrong?
- What’s confusing in what you read?
- What’s NOT here that should be, now that you think about it?
I will report that ONE of you has already done this; thanks a lot, Joe!