Attendance: Jim Dontje, Bob Douglas, Judy Douglas, Kristina Fosse, Renee Hoppe, Joe Lencioni, Steve Bennett, Jeff Stocco, Josh Sande, Chad Graham, Brooks Stapleton, Steve Kjellgren, Lisa Heldke, Christine Tenhoff, George Elliott
Guest: Ben Baatz
Director’s report
- Beverage contract – Note the front page article on the current issue of The Gustavian Weekly. Not a lot of interest has been shown initially to challenge the contract. One of the Management/Marketing classes is taking it on as a semester long project. There have been a few phone calls/emails with the recent article. We are optimistic that we will get some feedback, whether it is information as to what other institutions are doing, or in students wanting a taste test or students being interested in the ethics of large corporations. In regards to timeline: January – the RFP goes out to the companies; it should be back from Pepsi or Coke in late February or early March. The contract is up in April.
- Compost – There are some new and recent developments coming out of Environmental studies. Jim will be meeting tomorrow with the department and the Provost so he does not have all the information at present. There is a definite interest and perhaps some funding from a source that was not present before. There is still much to be discussed: we have the goods, we need a storage structure and what kind of a system would be both useful and educational.
- Global Insight- Circumpolar: the photographs will be updated this week in the Dining center. Once a month the region will be highlighted with some delicious food from that region.
- Local Produce – Steve reported that this has been a great year for local produce and in general in the last 5 years we have been able to use more and more locally grown produce. All the produce from Big Hill Farm has been used and we are still able to purchase locally grown tomatoes, onions, apples, etc. It is more costly for us and at present we believe that the cost is worth it. If that does become an issue in the future we would certainly look at that and have a discussion.
- Credit cards – The machines were installed as of 9/27/2011 and are being used. They are not as cost effective for us, but more of a convenience for the customer.
Reports from Programs, Departments, Offices, Organizations
- George described the work and thought behind the Nutrition analysis program. About 80% of the recipes are analyzed, they are currently under scrutiny for accuracy and almost ready to move on to the next step of how to best display them on the web (with help from Joe). This will continue to be somewhat of an ongoing project as new items come about and old, not as popular items leave the menu cycle. It is a long project as most of the items are homemade, with a recipe, but not always portions and yields, etc.
- Steve Bennett reported on the Wellbeing Committee. This has been an ongoing project since about 2007. It is part of the 150 commission as well and much work and thought have been put into this project over the years with their being much support by administration. The comprehensive wellness model is designed for students, staff, faculty and alumni. There is currently a task force that is working on how to best utilize all the work that has been done and how to implement the current wellness model.
- Josh Sande from Student Senate described for us what the Student Senate is and is not. It is not a vehicle for change. It is a way for students to be heard. The Student Senate can poll students and take the temperature of the student environment and channel that information into the right place. Having said that Lisa also pointed out that the Kitchen Cabinet is also not driving the bus on administrative decisions; we also want the students to be involved and generate their ideas and concerns. The Student Senate is willing to be involved in polling students about the upcoming beverage contract if needed, and Josh pointed out that too many surveys leads to lack of participation in the surveys so as a whole we need to be thoughtful on what information we are seeking.
- Chad Graham, an International student was present and a great voice for students of Diversity. Chad raised the question re: menu rotation. Some students had voiced a concern that some options are always offered on the same day and could that be changed. Steve was able to respond that the rotation is set up that way for production reasons and there is a lot of thought as to what is offered when and it cannot be changed. The question was also raised if there would be other places on campus to dine. That is not out of the question; again, would there be support from a majority of students. One of the benefits of a centralized eating environment is to bring the campus together, if we had different areas on campus, would that hurt the campus as a whole? Chad also noted that some students complain of lack of variety, and he knows there is so many creative ways to make different foods on your own just from what is already prepared in The Market Place. It was noted that a few years ago another student had this same thought and there is a “recipe” booklet of sorts floating about that no one really knows what to do with it or how to best utilize it. Steve is willing to pass this along so a decision can be made as to how to best utilize this resource.
- Greens – Renee reported on the work being done to not have bottled water on campus. Josh suggested they collaborate with the survey process (as it could be part of the beverage contract as well as what is happening w/ the Dive). Renee attended the Morris campus sustainability conference and noted St. Ben’s has went bottle free and she will be following up with them for further information on their process. She notes that an open forum would also be planned that would involve students, faculty, and staff. Sporting events could also be affected if bottled water was not available. Further ideas that were generated from the conference: giving freshman a water bottle that they can refill, having water bottles for sale in the books store and having the book store open so they can be purchased, hydration stations available on campus.