CDT Fall 2022 - 8

leadership
agenda
I know that some NACUFS members may still be experiencing difficulty in
recruiting professional and student employees for open positions.
If our early student employment hiring continues to trend in the same
direction, then here at Oregon State University we may be seeing an increase
in the number of students willing to work in dining services this academic
year. Our full-time professional application pools are still a mixed bag when it
comes to the number of applicants we get, but our student pools are definitely
showing promise.
KER RY PAT ER S ON
NACUFS PRESIDENT
2022-2023
KERRY.PATERSON@OREGONSTATE.EDU
This is to our advantage when it comes to sustaining and advancing
sustainability initiatives. These past few years, due to lack of staffing, we had
to move away from a number of sustainability programs we had implemented.
I'm sure a lot of you also had to do this.
If these positive hiring trends continue, I am looking forward to refocusing our
attention back into the area of sustainability.
I have always tried to bring a " Triple Bottom Line " focus to the dining
programs I have been part of. This model focuses on the three P's of
business-Profit, People, Planet. Not only should we be running a profitable
business, but we need to use our influence among our staff and customers
to educate them on the many social and environmental choices one must
make when it comes to eating and contributing to a healthy planet. Climate
change and social responsibility issues are very much a part of our everyday
conversations at OSU.
On campus, we are planning on reintroducing a number of our suspended
sustainability programs. Our campus-wide " Eco2Go " reusable container
program is one such area we hope to bring back. We also are exploring
charging for disposable cups in all of our cafes versus offering a discount
for bringing a reusable cup. This one really draws on behavioral science.
Do people respond to positive rewards or does being charged for negative
behavior lead to more long-term change?
Something we recently introduced on campus is our first electric-assist cargo
trike. Instead of using a small truck or cargo van, we are exploring using this
cargo trike for a number of different delivery applications. Some possibilities
include moving product from dining center to dining center, or possibly even
using it for small catering order drop offs.
In closing, the NACUFS Collegiate Foodservice Sustainability Guide©
provides
a great platform for you to work from and to find areas for your campus to
target. The guide's 10 areas of focus cover a wide variety of topics. Some of
these are areas we all may already be paying attention to, such as food waste,
waste reduction and offering sustainable seafood. But some areas are new
and may present steep learning curves. For example, biodiversity and habitat
protection, carbon footprint and animal welfare are definitely areas I need to
educate myself about.
I'm sure this edition will have something for everyone. I look forward to
reading the articles and seeing what new ideas I can gather to use on our
campus. Have fun doing the same and happy reading.
8 CAMPUS DINING TODAY | LEADERSHIP AGENDA
CDT Fall 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CDT Fall 2022
