Kitchen Cabinet
February 15 th , 2022
Steve Kjellgren, Kevin Birr, Lisa Heldke, Tim Born, Jen Donkin Jeri Miller, Karen Yess, Jennifer Warren,
Doug Thompson, Kari Wallin
What feels sad about COVID and current dining service
– Wages dining service students getting vs other departments
– Students frustrated with the dining service hours and lack of food options at 7:30 pm
– Consistency of everything available at night
– Menu doesn’t match what is posted
– Running out of protein options at the grill in the evening
– Feels like there are so many opportunities for teachable moments – utilizing the dining service as a
learning / teaching place
– Incoming students haven’t worked due to COVID
What feels like an opportunity?
– Supply chains
– Sense of what is normal is being challenged
– New menu items a huge success – late night we run out of product have a plan B
– Never show empty pans with crumbs in the serving lines
– Incoming wages for full-time staff have been increased in order to help fill spots, but others
disappointed their wages aren’t also increasing
– Student dining service wages increased to $15/hr and is paying off with more students applying for
jobs
– Consider only first year students assigned to custodial or dining service and make more money than
other areas.
o Shift this to the positive and how important their role is
o How do we change the narrative
o Term “student employment” better than “work study”
o Work on how other department look at dining services – negatively vs positive
o Cross train student employees between departments for more efficiency
o Hope that students will enjoy dining service / custodial and want to stay
o Also having juniors and senior working in Dining and custodial can provide good mentorship
o Utilize social media to help promote jobs in dining service and custodial and the menu
items
o Highlight the flexibility in the shifts available
– How do we meet the needs of the students on special diets?
– Have united front with students when they have complaints and find more information on what
they are wanting and help educate them and we are all part of the community
– The best promotion is students promoting menu items in dining service amongst themselves
through social media, etc
What is the important role of Kitchen Cabinet this school year?
– Amplifiers of our ideas
– Feel free to interject when hearing concerns/complaints about Dining Service
Steve was invited to join a group headed by Kathy Harms to look into student employment and
researching the what and why of the current state
2012 last year we did a beverage provider contract and Coke was the leader and is up in July. We are
hoping to have a contract that would help students more financially and going out to bid with other
suppliers.
Composting is going well, collecting everywhere on campus. Student senate provided composting bags
to students. There has been a slight decline in composting now that Gustie Ware pick up has resumed.
Suggestion was made to do a campaign to promote composting and what is trash vs what is
compostable and where to dispose of them. With Earth Day coming up there will be some promotional
activities. Important to be truthful in advertising about composting on campus and that there are two
systems on campus.