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PAGE 4 | WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM Sodexo feeds students amid snowstorm chaos
BY CRAIG CRAWFORD
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Staff Writer
January and February are some of the coldest months in the year, and in 2021, polar air masses battered the contiguous United States in a way that shook power grids, families, schools and other institutions.
Arkansas saw some of its coldest temperatures to date, dipping below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Heavy snowfall throughout the week tied the state record for 14 inches, but as temperatures dropped and snow height increased, the team at Ouachita’s Commons made strides to maintain a safe environment for students to eat.
The Commons stayed open on a limited schedule during the week, but the cafeteria was open every day to serve food for students. The Commons is now returning to its usual schedule.
During the week, employees at Sodexo found themselves working in a variety of places within the Commons. The hazardous weather conditions limited the ability of some Sodexo staff members to come in to work.
“We had to review and reorganize our small group of culinary, food service workers and management team to support the Commons. You may have seen a few of your Chick-fil-A team members and managers working in the Commons,” Kari Ledford, Sodexo Retail and Marketing Manager, said. When it became evident that the storm would disrupt the ebb and flow of a normal day in the cafeteria, Sodexo worked vigilantly to maintain normalcy for students.
A normal day for Sodexo workers means opening in several retail locations– Dr. Jack’s, Chick-fil-A, Sandella’s and Tiger Grill– in addition to operating the Commons.
“We created a plan based on minimal staffing and food delivery trucks not servicing our area. We had to increase our food inventory to allow us to provide meals all week without restocking,” Ledford said. “Quarantine meals needed to be delivered to students daily to the dorms and hotels in Caddo Valley. Not knowing road conditions or weather changes was difficult. Our team was able to plan ahead with deliveries by monitoring and adjusting to conditions to safely deliver meals for all meal sessions.”
Eventually, the team organized a schedule only for members who could afford to come in to work. Because of the uncertainty and fear of weather conditions, several Sodexo members took on roles they normally do not operate in. Ledford spoke very highly of the contribution of Sodexo General Manager John Fitzgerald.
“Jon Fitzgerald was up before sunrise each morning to pick up our staff and bring them to campus,” Ledford said. “Once on campus, he was in the kitchen working with our chef and culinary team to make sure they had all they needed for menus and service, tasting and reviewing quality of food and packing meals for quarantined students and delivering for all meal sessions. Once dinner service was over, he’d begin driving staff back home and prepare to start again the next morning. As our leader, he exemplified Sodexo’s values and mission of improving the quality of life for our employees and people we serve and demonstrating the service spirit that inspires others.”
An unexpected consequence of the staff shortage, causing retail locations to close, meant that students were limited to eating in the Commons. This caused an increase in the number of students visiting the cafeteria. The Sodexo team also stepped up to take on this challenge.
“Knowing how much students enjoy dining at our food court in Evans Student Center, expanding staff roles and training to provide staffing to open, or partially open, retail, it’s never in our plan to close [the retail locations], and we exhaust every option before we make the decision,” Ledford said. “Supervisor teams stepped in to manage, and roles were expanded. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, the dining area had to have additional supervision to ensure capacity limits, service requirements and sanitation guidelines were closely monitored.”
During the week, the Sodexo team pulled through to deliver quality food service for a large number of students, many of whom have expressed their gratitude in-person.
“Our Tigers are amazing, and during this most challenging week, they all made sure we knew how much our support meant to the campus. We received many compliments and much gratitude from the students during meal sessions. That means a lot to our staff. Some even brought tears to our eyes with their kind words.”
Despite the snowstorm raging on across the state and covering the campus, Sodexo even managed to host a Mardi Gras-themed lunch and dinner, complete with po’boys, etouffee and gumbo.
“I’m so proud of our team for always looking out for the safety of our Tigers and providing a comfortable atmosphere,”Ledford said. “Every meal session, our students were gracious with our staff; above and beyond with kindness and expressing their appreciation for being there for them.”
It was a challenge to keep The Commons open during the snowstorm. The Sodexo staff braved the extreme weather to feed students. (top left and bottom right photos by Abby Blankenship; top right and bottom left photos by Sarah Dean)
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WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM | PAGE 5
Chi Mu hosts an Autism walk in April 2019. Unfortunately, COVID-19 prevented the event from happening in 2020. This year, Chi Mu and the other women’s social clubs are planning safe ways to support their philanthropies. (photo by Ransey Joiner)
Women’s clubs plan to give back
BY SAMANTHA PIPKIN
Staff Writer
Chi Mu, Chi Delta, EEE, Tri Chi and Gamma Phi are planning events to raise money for their philanthropies this semester.
According to philanthropy chair Emma Dennis, Chi Mu has two philanthropies: Lighthouse Ministries in Arkadelphia and the Arkansas Autism Foundation. “We raise money for both of them through our different philanthropic events and volunteer down at Lighthouse Ministries,” Dennis said. “Chi Mu has done many things in the past to raise money for our philanthropies. We have had bake sales and dances as events, and we even sold bracelets once.” Last year, the Chi Mu Autism walk ended more quickly than expected. The club was unable to hold the autism walk because of COVID-19. However, Chi Mu remains hopeful for its philanthropy events this year.
COVID-19 also caused Chi Delta to make changes to the philanthropies that it supports.
“The people who host Relay 4 Life finally decided to permanently change when and where they were going to host their events,” philanthropy chair Sydney Bufford said. “Because of this, Chi Delta was inspired to try a new philanthropy in order to continue to serve the community around Ouachita.” This year, Chi Delta chose to partner with the Percy and Donna Malone Child Safety Center. For their philanthropy week, Tri Chi and EEE join forces to put on events every spring semester. The two clubs host a variety of fundraising events that occur over the course of a week. The proceeds are divided in half to benefit each club’s philanthropy. “We will have percentage days at various businesses around Arkadelphia and all the proceeds will go to our philanthropy, the Pregnancy Resource Center,” EEE Vice President Michaelyn Ferrell said.
Tri Chi philanthropy chair Madison Mosier is excited to raise funds for the Arkadelphia Human Development Center. Senior and Tri Chi member Madi Rawls actually works at the center, making it a special way for Tri Chi to give back. “I think more people need to know about the Arkadelphia Human Development Center,” Mosier said. “Learning about the things they do has really helped me understand and value even more the job that she [Madi] does.” The week usually ends with the clubs’ annual Space Jam event, which is usually a dance party. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, the event will feature different activities this year. The clubs will have stations for games like cornhole, balloon popping, ring toss and many others. Gamma Phi will be hosting events throughout the semester to benefit their philanthropy. The club is in the process of planning a couple of on-campus events and partnering with a local business to raise money this semester. “Our philanthropy is the Humane Society of Clark County,” President Jorie Beaumont said. “We have an event to raise money for them next week with Elegant Nails Salon.” Students can mention Gamma Phi at Elegant Nails in Arkadelphia and the salon will donate $5 to the humane society.
For more information about this year’s philanthropy events, follow the social clubs on Instagram: @ womenofchimu, @thewomenoftrichi, @thewomenofgammaphi, @ thewomenofeee and @womenofchidelta.
BY ERICA WILMATH
Staff Writer
The Nutrition and Dietetics Department at Ouachita has an association specifically tailored for students seeking a major or minor in dietetics: the Student Dietetic Association.
The association holds monthly meetings that often include guest speakers of professional interest, community service opportunities, planning for fundraising and other topics. All nutrition and dietetics students are welcome to join the dietetic association at any point in the semester. Students can join by attending one of the monthly meetings or by emailing the association’s faculty sponsor Mrs. Stacy Freeman. According to the association’s president Madeline Steely, the dietetic association allows students like herself who are pursuing a career in this field to get to know one another outside of a busy classroom. Steely enjoys that the association has fun get-togethers and parties every year that the students and their professors can attend. These events allow the students to connect with one another and their professors in a fun and relaxed environment.
The dietetic association has not only created this community for Steely and her peers, but it has also allowed the members to reach their main goal: raising funds so they can attend the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo biennially.
“The FNCE Conference is an opportunity given to students where the newest technologies and innovations in dietetics are showcased,” dietitics major Julianna Jones said.
Because of this association, students get to learn from experienced speakers, registered dietitians and doctors that have years of experience in this field of work. The conference is one of the many hands-on learning opportunities for dietetics students to experience that prepares them for their next step after graduation.
In addition to the FNCE Conference, the dietetics association also offers other hands-on learning experiences, such as food labs that are included in some of their classes and opportunities to go into the community in places like the Clark County Fair, First Baptist Church, Head Start and Baptist Hospital.
Jones’s experience as a dietetics major has allowed her to become more educated on how food can change and heal the body along with the science behind cooking and baking.
“The opportunities placed before me have opened my eyes to take care of myself better and understand the value of nutritional education,” Jones said.
In addition to the experiences Jones gained from classes, the dietetic association has allowed her to form relationships with her peers.
Although students outside of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics cannot join the association, they can offer support to the association by participating in its fundraisers.
The Student Dietetic Association focuses on two specific fundraisers every year. Every fall, the dietetic association sells lunches that consist of baked potatoes and salads. In the spring, they sell chocolate-covered strawberries for Valentine’s Day, and the dietitic association hands them out during the week leading up to Feb. 14.
The Student Dietetic Association has a positive impact on the dietetics students and offers them experience to prepare them for a career.
