Kennesaw State University--Highlights of Summer 2013

 
Hi, my name is Natalie and I'm a senior majoring in dietetics at Brigham Young University. I’m originally from Utah, but I spent the last eight weeks getting a taste of life in the South during my internship in Kennesaw, Georgia. This year is the first time Kennesaw State University (KSU) has hosted NACUFS interns, and Adriane and I feel so privileged to be the first ones! KSU is only 50 years old, but it's the third largest state university in Georgia. With such rapid growth happening around us, it's been an exciting time to be working on campus. We’ve had an incredible experience this summer, and I want to share some of the highlights from our time here at KSU.

Award-Winning Dining Service

Our dining hall, The Commons, is known for having great food and for its sustainability efforts. From the time it was opened in 2009, KSU Culinary & Hospitality Services has won numerous awards. Most recently, we received the National Restaurant Association's 2013 'Innovator of the Year' award. This is the first time an institution of higher education has been selected for this award. KSU was chosen over other top competitors, including Taco Bell, Disney World, and the US Air Force. Needless to say, we were very pleased and honored to receive this award.

Welcome to The Commons!

Beautiful front architecture

NRA 2013 Innovator of the Year

Sustainable Practices

At The Commons, all plate waste goes into the biocomposter, a machine that breaks food (and even chicken bones) down into a nutrient-rich water that can be used to water crops on KSU farms. This is a unique part of the farm-to-campus-to-farm program. Another innovative practice at KSU is that we grow hydroponic greens right inside The Commons. There are more than ten hydroponic units in the dining hall. Adriane and I got to help harvest the greens, which were then washed and served at the salad bar in The Commons.

The biocomposter

Hydroponic greens growing inside The Commons

Fun on the Farm

KSU has three farms where they grow produce using sustainable organic practices. Two of the farms also have apiaries, which produce over 30 gallons of honey a year. Produce and honey from the farms are transported back to campus and served in The Commons. Farm goods are also sold at a farmer's market held on campus in the fall. Last week we got to visit the Hickory Grove Farm, about ten minutes north of campus. We helped hoe a row of indigo, which the KSU art department will use to make paint. We also got to see the new hydroponic greenhouses they are building, in which they are planning to grow tomatoes year-round. Before we left the farm, we harvested and husked corn to be taken to The Commons. The next day at lunch we got to eat some of the delicious corn we helped to harvest.

Hoeing indigo on the farm

The cream of the crop

Back of the House

We got to spend some time with Andrew, our purchasing manager, who taught us about ordering and doing inventory. He also showed us how to receive orders and taught us what to look for when we get a new shipment. Adriane and I also got to make hot sauce with Chef Billy. We found out that carrots are an important ingredient in hot sauce--who knew?

Receiving an order of fresh fish

Making hot sauce with Chef Billy

The finished product

Our own jar!

Projects

Adriane and I worked together on several projects, including a website review, label design, and secret shopper surveys. Our biggest project was to create a marketing plan for Spring 2014. We spent many hours doing a SWOT analysis and coming up with an action plan and marketing materials. As part of our marketing plan we created a line of advertisements based on the "Keep Calm" trend. We were excited when they liked our ideas enough to use them in the meal plan promotion for this fall, and it was fun to see it all over campus.

Keep Calm and Swipe On!

Sidewalk in front of The Commons

Yard sign on campus

New Student Orientation

Every Friday we had new student orientation. Adriane and I distributed drinks to parents in the morning, and then counted and marked wrist bands as guests entered the dining hall for lunch. In the afternoon we sat at an information table and answered questions about meal plan requirements and options for upgrading. It was fun to be involved in creating a positive experience for parents and incoming students, but we also gained important insights that were helpful as we worked on our marketing plan project.

Transporting drinks on the golf cart

Parents and students enjoying lunch at The Commons

  

Questions about your meal plan?

National NACUFS Conference

One of the best highlights of this summer was our trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the national NACUFS conference. Adriane and I were among the few interns who had this privilege as part of our internship. We were so grateful we got to go to the conference with Rob (our internship coordinator) and Randy (the executive director of auxiliary services). We learned a lot from attending the various conference sessions and networking with professionals. We also got to learn about different things other universities around the country are doing in their dining services. It really opened my eyes to the value of professional conferences and what they have to offer to anyone who goes with a desire to learn and be inspired by new ideas.

Such a beautiful city!

Trying tacos de lengua (beef tongue) at lunch

A building we found on a walk around the city

A bench across from the Minneapolis Convention Center 

 

"Moore" Love

Adriane and I also got to help with a benefit dinner to raise money for the tornado victims in Moore, Oklahoma. Because state funds can't be used to fund a charity event, everything--from the delicious food to the classy t-shirts--was generously donated by our vendors and local companies. All the money we raised was sent to help rebuild communities in Moore County.

Showing our support for Moore, OK

A Day with the Bulldogs

After we got back from Minneapolis, Rob took us to visit UGA for a day. We visited several of their dining halls and got a tour of the historic part of campus. We also saw part of their new student orientation program and how they got parents and students excited about dining on campus. It was great to see how dining services works at a large university.

Adriane & I with UGA's NACUFS interns, Meghan & Colleen

History of The South

While we were in Georgia, we took advantage of the opportunity to learn about the history that was all around us. Our first week here, we visited Stone Mountain and watched the laser show on the rock. We also got the chance to hike around Kennesaw Mountain, the site of several significant Civil War battles. Before we left Georgia, we also made sure to visit the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, where we learned about the Great Locomotive Chase. It was incredible to see how history is such a real and important part of this area.

Stone Mountain: A carving of Confederate leaders during the Civil War

The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History

Leaving a Piece of My Heart in Georgia

Looking back on my 8 weeks here in Kennesaw, it's hard to believe it's gone by so quickly. I've learned a lot from the experiences I've had here, but what really made this summer special was the amazing people we got to work with. From the beginning, they welcomed us to the team and made us feel like part of the family. They even threw us a going away party on our last day. Thank you so much to everyone at KSU who made our experience so great! A special thanks to Rob, who did so much for us as our internship coordinator. I'm really going to miss y'all!

Our awesome internship coordinator, Rob

Cake at our going away party

Yale University: Week Six

Soaking Up Knowledge and Some Sun

While our internship director was away this week enjoying the California sun, Nicole and I tried to beat the New Haven heat wave by savoring our time in the air-condioned office. Our focus on Eatec this week was the sustainability aspect. Since Yale Dining has such a strong focus on purchasing sustainable food, they want to be able track the sustainable products they are purchasing and be able to relay this to their customers. In the fall, once Eatec is fully functioning, they plan on displaying any

sustainability information relevant to each menu item on the recipe display cards, along with the nutritional and allergen information. Nicole and I had the opportunity to hear Gerry Remer, the Director of Supply Chain and Sustainability for Yale Dining, speak to a summer class at Yale's School of Environmental Studies and Forestry. Although we had both interacted with Gerry before and have heard general information on Yale's sustainability efforts, this was a great opportunity for us to hear more detailed information on the subject. When purchasing a product, the sustainability characteristics that are considered are divided into five categories: Regional, Eco-Sensitive, Fair, Health and Wellness, and Humane. When possible and economically efficient, Yale Dining tries to source items that are within a 300 mile radius of New Haven, CT. This is often a challenging task due to the short growing season in the region, being surrounded by ocean on one side of the land, and striving to keep fresh products available to the surrounding community. Under the category of eco-sensitive falls organic, integrated pest management, and carbon and water impact of production and transportation methods. All the paper products Yale uses in their dining facilities are all compostable and they have established a trayless dining system. A product is labeled with the sustainability characteristic of fair if it comes from a family owned company, if it is a fair trade item, and/or if a product is rainforest alliance certified. Categorized under the label humane are products where the animals were humanely raised and/or raised free range/cage free. Under the last sustainability category of health and wellness falls the labels of antibiotic free, hormone free, vegetarian fed, all natural, and GMO free. Yale Dining sustainability goals include purchasing 37% of products from sustainable sources, reducing energy use by 20%, reducing output to landfills by 30%, and increasing sustainability awareness to students, staff, and guests. Yale Dining recognizes that not all products purchased can be labeled as sustainable, but they are very conscious of the products they purchase and their sources. Yale Dining strives to be sustainable through purchasing, reducing, recycling, and education.

Site Visits
In order to check in on the processing facilities of local products, every few years Gerry, along with her sustainability and sourcing coordinator, Betty Binkley, plan visits to the production sites. This week we visited two New Haven sites where Yale purchases products from, Palmieri Food Products and Lamberti Sausage Company.  Palmieri Food Products is a small pasta sauce producing company and Lamberti Sausage Company is a family-owned sausage producing company. It was interesting to see where some of the products Yale purchases comes from directly and what conditions the products were made under.

Retail Operations
This week we got to experience the retail side of Yale Dining by meeting with BettyeJo, who is the retail manager at Yale's  KBT Cafe, Health Center Cafe, and is also the general manager for Marigolds Catering. She gave us a brief description of the 10 retail locations Yale has throughout campus and gave us a tour of several of them. The retail locations offer grab-n-go options for students and many of them serve as coffee cafes as well. The central kitchen that BettyeJo also oversees prepares the grab-n-go sandwich and salad options that are distributed to the various retail locations across campus.

Registered Dietitians
Since Nicole and I are both nutrition majors aspiring to be registered dietitians, we have been seeking the opportunity throughout our time in NewHaven to meet with RDs that are employed for Yale. This week we got the chance to meet with two RDs, one working as the employee wellness manager and the other working as a research associate.

Being Well at Yale
Lisa Kimmel is a registered dietitian who is a Certified Nutritionist and Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She has a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology and is currently the Wellness Manager for Being Well at Yale, the employee wellness program. We had met with Lisa a few weeks ago to discuss with her what we were doing for Yale Dining, so this visit was an opportunity for her to share with us what she was doing for the employee wellness program. This upcoming year she wants shift her focus to the Yale Dining employees and cater to the needs of that population. Each week the dining employees of each residential college dining hall have family meals. During these family meals, Lisa wants to bring a physician and health staff to them to perform basic health screenings. At these screenings, Lisa would like the employees to fill out self evaluation forms. While with Lisa, we helped her brainstorm ideas of how to format the evaluation sheet for employees to fill out, which would highlight their concerns, needs, and their desire to make a lifestyle change(s). The informational sheet is going to be formatted in a simple manner that emphasizes the purpose is to meet each employee's specific needs and concerns. Lifestyle changes that are highlighted on the sheet include weight management, diabetes management, smoking cessation, personal relationships, stress relief, eating healthier, etc. She is hoping that by reaching out to this specific employee population and catering to their needs she will be able to assist them in utilizing all health resources available to them on campus and help those who are willing make positive lifestyle changes. 

Yale Rudd Center For Food Policy & Obesity
The second registered dietitian we met with this week was Christina Munsell. Christina has a Master's degree in Health Care Policy and Management and works as a research associate at Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. The Rudd Center is a non-profit organization that is funded by grants and researches topics centered around food policy and obesity. The center has numerous research teams that focus on different topics such as school food, weight bias, economics, and food marketing. Christina works largely in part with the marketing research team focusing on the topic of "food marketing to children." She recently did research on deceptive food marketing, the labeling of energy drinks as a supplement vs. a beverage, and how food is labeled to parents. She is very passionate about food policy and encouraged us to look for job opportunities in this area in the future. 

Nutrition Fact Cards
To fill our time when we were in the office, Nicole and I developed nutrition fact cards that can be displayed in the napkin holders in the dining halls. We both researched a variety of nutrition topics and made fun, easy to read cards to keep people entertained while dining. We covered a variety of topics from portion sizes to vitamins to foods that boost your memory. We thought it would be a great way to give people some general nutrition information and possibly spark their interest to research the various topics more. 

To Conclude... This week was filled with a wide variety of experiences and insights. We braved the extreme heat to have the rewarding experience of working at the weekly Uncommon Market again, we were given a lot of insight into the opportunities that are available to dietitians outside of the clinical setting, and we were more informed on what steps Yale Dining takes to be sustainable. We spent the weekend avoiding our non-air conditioned rooms by shopping and enjoying the hammocks provided in one of the Yale college courtyards.