Yale University: Week Eight

The Final Week as a Yale Dining Intern

Myself, Veronica (our internship advisor), and Nicole.

Nicole and I wrapped up our eighth and final week as Yale NACUFS interns by polishing up some projects and enjoying the rest of our time in New Haven at Yale University. On Monday we met with the Student Wellness Health Educator, Haley, one last time to give her the bulletin board project we put together and shared the rest of the nutrition education materials Nicole and I have designed. The nutrition education projects Nicole and I have developed over the past eight weeks have included a "portion perspective" bulletin board,  napkin holder nutrition fun facts, a Yale version of MyPlate, gluten free awareness information for dining staff, and allergen information that will be available to those who eat in the dining halls. We also met with a current dietetic intern at Yale New Haven Hospital this week who gave us an overview of the internship program and introduced us to her director, as well as other individuals she has worked with. We worked another shift in the Yale Bake Shop where we pressed pie crusts, rolled cheesecake pops, and iced cakes. Our final day was filled with one last Uncommon Market shift, final farewells, and appreciation to the staff at Yale Dining.    

Tuesday evening after work we headed to East Rock Park where we hiked to the top of New Haven.

A sample of some of the projects Nicole and I undertook during our time at Yale.

A rough version of the bulletin board material Nicole and I created, which will be displayed in the Yale Student Wellness office.

                             A view of the Eatec screen Nicole and I became very familiar with over the past eight weeks. 

A sample of the napkin card displays Nicole and I designed.

Summary...

This internship has given us a better view of the complexity of operating a university foodservice operation. We have witnessed how difficult it is to communicate information throughout a hierarchy, from central office staff to the managers to the foodservice workers. Everyone has different concerns, but all must come together to achieve Yale Dining's ultimate goal, to provide excellence in hospitality. Although we spent most of our time in the central office, we were able to interact with managers throughout Yale's dining operation and become familiar with many of the foodservice workers, which allowed us to see all perspectives of the operation.The beginning of our internship coincided with the implementation of a new food inventory and purchasing system, Eatec, which gave us first hand experience in dealing with the pros and cons of a new system. While the central office staff worked diligently to get the new system up and running, it was evident that many of the long-time staff was hesitant to the change. Although the new system has its bugs to be fixed, in the long run, it will hopefully be a more convenient and efficient system for Yale Dining. Nicole and I found this to be a very unique and worthwhile experience. We are very appreciative of the individuals at Yale Dining, specifically to our advisor, Veronica Arcoraci, who contributed to making the past eight weeks a summer we will never forget.

Goodbye Yale Dining!