Campus Dining Today Spring 2021 - 24

and Dietary Wellness at Washington University in
St. Louis, found cross-campus connections essential
to the success of the Building a Better Body Image
initiative as part of National Nutrition Month in
March of 2020. The dining program utilized their
long-standing relationship with the student health
and wellness center, Habif, to co-brand this initiative.
Part of the campaign was to have a local supplier
and alum print in-house-designed sustainable coffee
cup sleeves with messages encouraging students to
be kinder to themselves. 5,300 students saw these
messages while drinking their coffee. Over 4,000
also had the opportunity to read the messages in
residence hall restrooms where they were encouraged
to leave messages for others to read.
Strategic connections often go beyond the campus.
" We are only as good as our networks " reports Zia
Ahmed, senior director of dining services at The
Ohio State University. At scheduled meetings, the
foodservice directors across the Big Ten collaborate
on issues, celebrations, and (especially this past year)
on pandemic-related challenges. Solutions to supply
chain, labor strategies, technology, and equipment
purchasing are some of the topics they discuss. Their
voice to the outside is " Big Ten Strong. " The old adage
" There is strength in numbers " is highly effective when
14 multimillion dollar organizations band together
to achieve similar goals. Over this last year, more
foodservice directors have joined the discussions. The
community is now over 25 strong, coast to coast.
So, you're building a new dining center. While you
may be in charge of the project, hire the foodservice
designers, and justify the need for the building-
across campus there are many who can make (or
break) the achievement of your goals. University
Purchasing is likely to establish contracts and
purchase equipment. Building and Grounds will
supply utility, digging, and permit information. The
university administration may provide approval for the
budget. A host of others may have a direct impact on
your project. Your budget and your timeline can have
dramatic and accountable impact on the metrics you
must achieve. Having these strategic relationships in
place greatly facilitates your success.
The National Federation of University Co-operative
Associations (NFUCA) in Japan, an organization

24

CAMPUS DINING TODAY | Ti e s That Bind

A Connecticut College student is photographed to enter into
the Co-Verified app system that tracked COVID-19 testing
and results. Courtesy of Connecticut College

supporting Japanese university service providers, offers
an international perspective on connections and their
importance. Faustino Hernandez, vice president of the
NFUCA U.S. Office serves as the US contact and provides
the co-ops with cultural connectivity between the United
States and Japan. Hernandez's role liaises best practices
in both countries and provides foodservice operations
with resources and information that can prove beneficial
to them. As an example, these Japanese foodservice
associates received translations and seminars from the
NACUFS COVID-19 Assuring Customer Confidence Guide
thus connecting colleagues from both countries in their
efforts to provide college dining in the dynamic COVID-19
environment.
While most will agree that campus relationships are
important, it is no secret there are precious few minutes in
a day where you can strategically cultivate relationships.
Most happen organically by proximity or from other
interactions with those you have an interest in dining,
and vice versa. Cultivating " X " relationship is a rare entry
into the planning calendar-even though its strategic
connections are well-recognized to have impact on
operational success.
Campus Dining Today Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Campus Dining Today Spring 2021
