Representatives from Campus Dining appeared before the student senate Wednesday and discussed developments with food options in the last semester and plans for the spring. The senate also voted down an order for a referendum regarding the ban on personal electronic vehicles (PEVs).
Student Body president Daniel Jung ran the meeting because vice president Aidan Rezner was out sick. Student Union secretary Isabella Tardio asked members of senate about the last movie they watched during attendance.
Jung got the last meeting's minutes approved and invited executive director Luigi Alberganti and other representatives from Campus Dining to speak.
Campus Dining
Reggie Kalili, director of student dining, highlighted several notable results from a campus-wide survey that was conducted at the end of last semester and had 1,493 responses. In the survey, South Dining Hall received a 79% satisfaction rating to North Dining Hall's 76%. Students reported loving quesadillas in the survey, according to Kalili, and Campus Dining hopes to send out a similar survey in the coming weeks.
Kalili also hinted toward the renovation coming to South Dining Hall.
When asked by a student if the renovation would take away from the traditional charm of South, Kalili clarified that the renovations would focus on the “center of the building” and maintain the classic gothic architecture of the dining rooms. A second student asked if there was any talk of building a third dining hall, to which the representatives promptly responded, “No.”
Marc Poklinkowski, director of auxilary dining, discussed his work overseeing dining at Holy Cross, St. Mary’s and for Holy Cross religious at places like Corby Hall. He reminded the senate that all students at Notre Dame are welcome to dine at St. Mary’s and Holy Cross.
Senior executive chef Greg Larson discussed the special events in Campus Dining during the spring semester. The chef brought to attention the staff’s work toward “exploring more seafood options” to benefit students while Lent takes place.
Larson also previewed International Foods Week, which runs from Feb. 12 to 16. During the week dining staff are given the opportunity to share recipes from their own cultures, including cuisine and recipes from “Brazil, Argentina, Ireland, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.”
A taste of South Bend is also coming to the dining halls in February, when Campus Dining will partner with local restaurants to showcase small businesses and support the greater community.
Cheryl Bauer, director of supply chain and sustainability, turned the focus to the new dining initiative Waste and Weigh, which is meant to show “how much food is actually wasted during a meal period.” Based on data collected from last semester, staff found that on any given night more than 430 pounds of food are wasted. Bauer called attention to recent work with students to explore causes of food waste, and how the student body and dining staff can work together to lower these numbers going forward.
Executive announcements and general orders
Moving to executive announcements, Jung reminded the senate about Civic Engagement Week, which begins Feb. 5 with a voter registration drive from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Duncan Student Center. An absentee ballot workshop will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 6.
Three orders concerning language in the constitution of the undergraduate student body were speedily passed. The vote on the order for a referendum on the PEV ban failed by a narrow margin.
